


The heart knows (when the search is over)

by Sparklyfairymira (myonetruelove)



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Kid Fic, Marriage, Multi, Non-Linear Narrative, Polyamory, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:27:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27841492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myonetruelove/pseuds/Sparklyfairymira
Summary: Every 100 years the new royal pair will be born at the stroke of midnight: one to Seelie nobility and one to Unseelie nobility. A pair to keep the peace between the two courts, to prevent another war like the one that had raged on for millennia. To be married on their 18th birthday and to begin their rule on their 25th. Their soul books will be given to them at this time. They are not to meet their soulmates until they begin their rule.Clarke and Murphy have known since they were born who they would marry and they've accepted that this is their life. They love each other, but can they survive receiving their soul books and meeting their soulmates?
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin/John Murphy, Emori/John Murphy/Raven Reyes
Comments: 9
Kudos: 55
Collections: t100fic4blm Donation Celebration





	The heart knows (when the search is over)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Another story for your reading pleasure! Note to people who like to leave hate messages in regards to pairings: all three listed pairings are prominent in the fic. If you don't like one of them then feel free not to read. 
> 
> This was written for t100fic4blm donation celebration. We are still accepting prompts so please check out [our carrd here](t100fic-for-blm.carrd.co) to see what we're all about. Is there a Christmas fic you'd love to read? A New Years' story you want to read? A song you KNOW needs to be made into a video? Or want a fic trailer done for your fic (because I'm getting quite good at those lol). If you want to donate, but don't know what to prompt we've got you covered there too.
> 
> If you're interested in seeing what else I'm writing and what my planned publication dates for that is, please check out my Tumblr post [HERE](https://sparklyfairymira.tumblr.com/post/632973715782729728/prompt-fic-updates).
> 
> The amazing moodboard was made by [Sam](https://burninghoneyatdusk.tumblr.com/)! The theme used was Modern AU and the tropes were arranged marriage, soulmates, found family, and kid fic.

_Centuries ago the barrier between the Fae Realm and the Mortal Realm thinned enough that the two worlds joined. While humans were reluctant at first to accept the Fae they soon saw the advantage to their magic and the abilities that they had to offer._

_For every child, Fae and human alike, born after the thinning of the barrier a Soul Book would appear. Soul Books were new to both races, unlike anything even the Fae had seen before. A book that showed the life of one’s soulmate as it happened. Sometimes one’s soulmate’s face could be seen from the very beginning—allowing them to find their soulmate at a young age. Others, it would be well into adulthood before they were able to find their soulmate._

_The only exception to this is the Fae Royal Pair._

_Every 100 years the new Fae Royal Pair will be born at the stroke of midnight: one to Seelie nobility and one to Unseelie nobility. A pair to keep the peace between the two courts, to prevent another war like the one that had raged on for millennia. To be married on their 18th birthday and to begin their rule on their 25th. Their Soul Books will be given to them at this time. They are not to meet their soulmates until they begin their rule._

* * *

**December 2, 1980**

The lights flash as the storm rages. As the clock strikes midnight the wailing of the baby can be heard throughout the hospital. A sigh of relief comes from the Seelie as the sound carries throughout the court, magic carrying it so that all can hear it. Their royal has been born—the one that will keep the peace. Across town a similar sound can be heard by the Unseelie, another baby screaming at the top of their lungs. Another 100 years of peace.

* * *

**December 2, 2005**

Murphy lets out a deep sigh of relief, shoulders dropping as the door shut behind him before turning to Clarke. “Are you ready for this?”

“It changes nothing.” Her confidence slips for just a moment. “Right?”

Murphy’s smile is soft as he pulls her into his arms. “It’ll always be me and you against the world. That’ll never change.”

Clarke nods against his chest. “I know.” She pulls back to look up at him. “I just worry, you know? This is hard enough without finding out who our soulmates are.”

“And we could be each other’s soulmates. It’s still possible.” Even as Murphy says it, he knows it’s not true. He loves Clarke—of course, he does. But he also knows that she’s not his other half. “I love you, Clarke. We’ll make it through this just like we have for the last 25 years. Together.”

“I know.” Clarke smiles before going up on her toes to brush his lips against his. “I just hope whoever our soulmates are they can deal with this life. It won’t be easy. You and I will always be married. There’s no divorce for the Royal Pair, after all.”

Murphy scoffs. “Already talking about divorcing me? Seven years and you’re already tired of me? What will we tell Holt?”

Clarke laughs. “That I hate you?” She shakes her head. “You know I could never be tired of you.”

“Yeah, right. I can think of plenty of times you’ve been tired of me.” Murphy wraps his arm around Clarke’s shoulders. “Let’s do this, huh?” 

They walk to the front room of their home for the next 125 years—an actual castle built on both the Fae Realm and the Mortal Realm. It’s the home that the Royal Pair has called home since the truce was signed by both courts. Today is the day that they were crowned as the rulers—it’s also the day that their Soul Books are finally theirs. 

Murphy stops in the doorway, Clarke glancing up at him. “You okay?”

Murphy’s eyes are on the books sitting on the desk, waiting for them. He’s nervous, which he hadn’t expected. “I think so?” His eyes find Clarke’s. “I’m nervous.”

“Me too.” She ducks out of under his arm, taking his hands in hers. “Together, right?”

Murphy smiles, letting her lead him to the table. The books are identical, black leather with their names etched into the covers. The books appear the day that a new Fae is born with a name etched into it—the name that has been chosen for the child. Most Fae children grow up looking at the pictures that appear inside the book, but not him and Clarke. Because they’re the Royal Pair they were not able to see theirs for fear that they would abandon their duty. Now that they’re officially the King and Queen of the Fae instead of just the Prince and Princess they are allowed to see who their soulmate is and even seek them out if they so choose. Abandoning their duty is no longer an option.

Murphy glances at Clarke to see her eyes already on him. “Fuck it, let’s do this.” And together they open their books.

* * *

**June 3, 2006**

Murphy lays his head in his hands, frustrated. He’d always thought that being King would be just a figurehead role—boy, had he been wrong. The Fae court owns many businesses all over the world and he and Clarke are in charge of making sure that they’re running correctly. He wishes that they would’ve been more prepared for this part of their role, but what’s done is done. Thank the Gods they have a new assistant starting today.

“John?” 

Murphy looks up to find Clarke hovering in the doorway to the office, looking nervous. His brow immediately furrows. “What’s wrong?”

Clarke shakes her head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just-” she breaks off and just looks at him for a moment. “I’m pregnant.”

Joy runs through Murphy immediately, a smile spreading across his face. They’re going to have another baby? He jumps to his feet and sweeps Clarke into his arms, spinning her around. “Another baby?” he asks as he sets her back on her feet.

“Yeah.” Clarke beams up at him. 

“You had me worried when you came in here. I thought something was wrong.” Murphy leans down and brushes a kiss across her lips. “A baby is great news.”

Clarke shrugs. “I was just a little worried because we just got our Soul Books so we could meet our soulmates at any time and I wasn’t sure what a baby would mean for that.”

“The two have nothing to do with each other.” Murphy shakes his head. “Our soulmates are our other halves—or in my case, apparently two-thirds. They wouldn’t be meant for us if they couldn’t accept this. Right?”

Clarke nods slowly. “You’re right.” She snakes her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Murphy kisses the top of her head before laying his head atop hers. He’s ecstatic. Being a dad isn’t something that he knew that he wanted until the moment he found out Clarke was pregnant. He’d have a million kids if he could. 

They stay like this for a few minutes, holding onto one another as they bask in the news that they’re going to be parents again. Eventually, Clarke pulls back. She gives him a soft smile before leaning up to give him a quick kiss. “I’ve got a meeting to get to.”

Murphy can’t wipe the smile from his face. “That’s fine. Our new assistant will be here soon.” He stops her when she starts to leave, pulling her back in for another kiss. “I love you and I love this child. You know that, right?” He lays his hand on her still flat stomach.

“I do.” She nods as she lays her hand over his. “And I love you, too.”

Murphy watches her walk away before heading to the window, losing himself in his own thoughts. He knows that there is nothing conventional about his and Clarke’s relationship—they hadn’t been as lucky as the last Royal Pair who had been soulmates. But they loved one another and while he would love to meet his soulmates, he’s determined that it will not change anything between him and Clarke and their growing family.

“Murphy?” 

Murphy turns to find their housekeeper Fox standing there, looking uncomfortable. He’s finally gotten the staff to stop calling him King John—he really does not like being called John, at least not by anyone that isn’t Clarke. And he _hates_ being called by his title. It’s pure luck that he is king, though Clarke says it’s fate. He knows that they’re not all a hundred percent comfortable with it, but at least they’re trying.

“Yes, Fox?” 

Fox starts to curtsy, but remembers herself and instead nods. “Your new assistant is here. May I introduce Emori of the Seelie Fae.” Fox steps back to allow the other woman to step in.

Murphy’s jaw drops as he meets Emori’s eyes. It can’t be—he recognizes her from his Soul Book. She is one of his soulmates. A smile spreads across his face. Can this day get any better? First, the news that he’s to be a dad again and now he’s met one of his soulmates. “Hi.”

“Hello,” Emori smirks. “I hear you’re in need of an assistant.”

“We are, but that’s not why you’re here is it?” Murphy starts walking toward her.

Emori shrugs. “Well, partially at least. I need a job.”

Murphy can’t take his eyes off of her and he knows that all work will be forgotten for the day. “Obviously you’re qualified or Wells wouldn’t have hired you.” Murphy reaches for her hand, making a note to kill his Chief of Staff for not warning him that he’d hired Murphy’s soulmate for the assistant position. “But I don’t think we’ll be doing any work today.”

“Oh?” Emori tilts her head to the side as he brings her hand to his lips. 

“No, I think we should get to know one another. Work can wait until tomorrow.” Murphy leads her to the couch. Wells is going to be pissed that he’s putting off the work, but it’s his own fault for not giving Murphy a heads up. He doesn’t let go of Emori’s hand as they sit. “Tell me about yourself. Please.”

* * *

**May 25, 1996**

“Happy birthday to me,” Emori mutters to herself as she picks up her bag filled with her meager belongings. There’s no one there to say goodbye to her, no one that cares that she’s leaving. But Emori thanks the Gods that she’s finally out of the damn group home. Group homes are the worst. She’s also thankful for the fact that she’s Fae. Human children that age out of the system are thrown out into the real world with no help. The Fae take care of their own. 

“Emori?” There is a young woman standing beside a car when Emori walks out of the building. 

Emori frowns, unsure of why she is there and knows her name. “Yes?”

“Excellent. I will be taking you to the Fae Realm where we have a home set up for you. You will start your college courses tomorrow.” The girl nods her head toward the passenger seat. “Go ahead and get in.”

Emori climbs into the car, pulling out her Soul Book. She wonders what her soulmates are doing today, how their lives are going on her birthday. She flips open the book to the first page, a baby girl bundled up sleeping. On the next page, a baby boy screaming. She flips further in until she finds the girl at what she guesses is around age five, bronze skin glowing in the sun and long black hair flowing down her back with a huge smile on her face. That’s the last picture of the girl looking happy. 

The next page featuring her is at a funeral with her head hung low, tears streaming down her face. The next, a picture of a woman she assumes to be her mother passed out on the couch, an empty bottle of liquor beside her. Then for years, there had been nothing until recently. The girl has grown into a beautiful young woman with love in her eyes as she stares at a boy with floppy hair and an easy smile. And then as Emori flips the page she finds a new picture—the girl is yelling at the boy, a naked girl beside him. 

Emori sighs, wishing she knew her name. She wishes she could make it better for her—wishes she could help in some way. She runs a finger down the page. One day.

She flips backward to find the boy. All of the early pictures for him include a beautiful blonde girl that she recognized—Princess Clarke. It wasn’t until Emori was around ten that one of the pictures included her other soulmate and until then she hadn’t been one hundred percent sure, but now she knows. Her second soulmate is none-other-than Prince John who will marry Princess Clarke in just over two years. 

Emori doesn’t know what that means for her—for them, but she doesn’t dwell on that yet. She flips forward, grimacing when she sees the picture of John and Clarke holding hands at a funeral when they were young. She smiles at the pictures of them growing up together—always happy and always together. And then the most recent ones where they’re older, kissing and holding hands. It hurts Emori’s heart, but what can she do? They’re the rulers, they have to marry. 

Emori shuts the book with a sigh. It’s not fair, but then again what part of her life has ever been fair? She should be used to it by now. All she can do is look forward and hope for a better future.

* * *

**June 4, 2006**

Emori smooths out her skirt as she crosses her legs. She bites down on her bottom lip before uncrossing her legs. She shouldn’t be this nervous. So she’s meeting the Queen, it’s no big deal—except it is. Not only is she the Queen, but she’s John’s wife. She bites back a laugh as she remembers the conversation she’d had with him yesterday. He’d tried for an hour to convince her to call him Murphy, but she’d refused. She knows a small part of the reason she refuses to call him Murphy is that it drives him crazy, but there’s another part of her that’s always thought of him as John. From the moment that she’d seen his face in her Soul Book and realized that the future King was one of her soulmates she’d begun to think of him as John.

Emori takes a deep breath. She’s met Clarke once before when they were both very young. Clarke and King Dante, both Seelie, had been touring a Seelie orphanage where Emori lived. The young princess had been nothing but kind to other kids, even playing with the ones that weren’t overwhelmed by her presence. 

Emori remembers being jealous of Clarke’s bright hair and eyes, so different from Emori’s own. Clarke was the perfect depiction of a Seelie Fae and Emori had burned with jealousy. She’d always secretly wondered if her more Unseelie appearance is what prevented her from being adopted, but the princess hadn’t cared about that. She’d invited Emori to play with her, but Emori had declined. She’d been a loner and didn’t know what to do with the princess’s kind nature. 

And now she’s about to be properly introduced as the King’s soulmate. She’s nervous in a way that she hadn’t been when she’d been about to meet John. She doesn’t fully understand it—except that on some level she wonders if it’s because she’s about to ask another woman to share her husband with her. This whole situation is crazy. 

“Emori?” Clarke gives her a soft smile as she appears in the doorway. 

Emori jumps to her feet. Does she curtsy? What’s the protocol here? She doesn’t know. “Uh...yeah…Queen Clarke.” she stutters out.

Clarke’s smile grows. “There’s no reason to be nervous and it’s just Clarke.” She walks over, extending her hand. Calm radiates from Clarke which helps to settle Emori. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Emori shakes her hand, sitting once again when Clarke settles onto the couch. “We actually met once when we were young. You were maybe five?”

Clarke narrows her eyes and Emori wonders if she’s trying to remember or if she doesn’t believe her. “The orphanage?” she eventually asks.

Emori smiles, nodding. “Yeah, at the orphanage.”

“You were the girl who didn’t trust me.” Clarke laughs. “You wouldn’t play with us.”

“I couldn’t understand why the beautiful, perfect Seelie princess wanted to play with me.” Emori shrugs.

“I was—and am—far from perfect.” Clarke looks away.

“Yeah, but at seven I thought you were perfect and everything I wasn’t.” Emori sighs. “Don’t worry, I’ve outgrown that.”

Clarke continues to look out the window for a moment. “That’s good.” She pauses before turning back to Emori. “There’s something I want to tell you because you should know.”

Emori freezes. Is Clarke about to tell her to back off? Fire her so that she can’t be around John? She never even considered this possibility. John had been sure that Clarke would be cool with the fact that Emori is his soulmate. She doesn’t want to live without him not being in her life ever again. She can’t quite get a reading off of what Clarke is feeling—although it appears to mostly be anxiety.

“We just found out yesterday that I’m pregnant.” Clarke’s gaze is steady as she looks at Emori. 

Emori sits there, unsure of what to say. Is this Clarke’s way of telling her to back off? She just doesn’t know. Her confusion must be apparent because Clarke speaks again. “You’re John’s soulmate. I want you to be in his life, but I need you to understand that the kids come first—always. And I’ll always be here too. I hope you can accept that.”

“So you’re not going to tell me to leave your husband alone?” Emori asks, hesitant. She wants to make sure that she understands Clarke.

Clarke laughs. “I would never. When we finally got our Soul Books seven months ago, we knew this day would come. I want him to be happy—not that we wouldn’t be happy without our soulmates—but out of everyone, John deserves to be the happiest he can be.”

“You love him.” It’s not a question. It’s written all over Clarke’s face which for some reason shocks Emori. She never thought that someone could be happy in an arranged marriage, let alone love the person. 

“Of course.” Clarke smiles. “We grew up together. We knew we’d get married one day. We knew fairly early on that we weren’t soulmates, but we’ve always loved one another. It’s not the same as what the two of you will have someday, but yes, I love him.”

This warms Emori’s heart. She’s never known love and yet here is this woman who is in love with the man that she married to who isn’t even her soulmate. This woman who wants nothing more than for him to be happy—even if it’s with someone that isn’t her. 

Emori hesitates for a moment before reaching out to squeeze Clarke’s hand. “You’re an amazing woman and I would never try to take John away from you and especially not your children.” She shrugs. “I don’t know exactly how this will work, but I know that.”

Clarke’s eyes tear up and then she’s sweeping Emori in for a hug. “I think I’m going to like you, Emori.”

“I think I’m going to like you too, Clarke.” Emori has never been one for hugs, but she finds herself returning the hug easily. For the first time in her life, Emori feels like she has a chance at a real family.

* * *

#  _The Arkadia Times_

**Thursday, December 3, 1998**

Wedding of the Year or Wedding Disaster? 

By Josephine Lightbourne

Yesterday marked the 18th birthday of the Fae prince and princess. Why does this matter? Because the Royal Pair marries on their 18th birthday. They still have seven years until they begin their reign so what can we expect from the new Mr. and Mrs. Murphy? That’s a good question. 

As someone who often ran in the same circles as them, I can tell you to expect the unexpected. They are not what you expect from royalty—down to earth, friendly, and they actually care. They already have plans for a new charity to help out the Fae orphans, something that has been close to Princess Clarke’s heart since she was a young child.

When Princess Clarke was only five King Dante brought her on a tour of the Seelie orphanages in the area. In an interview earlier this year, Princess Clarke stated that “No child should be unloved and neglected. It is my goal to find a way for all Fae children to feel loved—Seelie and Unseelie alike.” 

I guess we’ll have to wait to see if they stand by their statement to help out the children. For now, I will choose to believe their words.

* * *

**October 18, 2008**

“Hello?”

Raven rolls her eyes as she shoves out from underneath the car, standing up slowly and wiping her hands on her coveralls. “Sorry, but we’re closed.”

“I know,” the voice says as they move closer. “Sinclair told me it would be okay to pick up my car after you closed.”

Of course, he did. Raven loves Sinclair, but he’s a little absent-minded at times and will forget to tell Raven things. She walks toward the office area, stopping when she sees him through the window. No. It can’t be.

He looks up and their eyes lock. Raven sees the exact moment that he realizes who she is. She should turn and run. She promised herself this wouldn’t happen. But he seems to have other ideas as he pushes open the door and moves toward her, stopping just shy of touching her.

“Hi,” he breathes. “I was beginning to think we weren’t ever going to meet.”

“Yeah, well, that was the plan.” Raven can’t look away from him. 

He laughs, tilting his head. “You’ll have to explain that one to me. I’m Murphy.” He extends his hand, but Raven takes a step back as she shakes her head. 

“I know who you are and I know that you’re married so tell me which car is yours so I can get you the keys so you can leave.” Raven watches as his face falls at her words.

Murphy frowns. “I think there might be some confusion here.”

Raven shakes her head. “Nope, no confusion. You’re the King of the Fae. Married with two kids. One of two of my soulmates, the other of which you’ve also met. But I’m not a homewrecker. So which car is yours?”

A smile slowly spreads across Murphy’s face. “Those are all true facts, but would you like to hear the rest of the facts?” He raises his eyebrows but doesn’t wait for her to answer. “My wife? The Queen? She knows that I’ve met one of my soulmates and she’ll be ecstatic to find out that I met the second today. Just as I’ll be ecstatic for her when she meets her soulmate. Yes, we’re married and yes, it will stay that way. But we’re not soulmates.” He pauses. “We’re learning to live a different life than most.”

“And if I have no interest in living that life?” Raven demands.

“Then I’ll leave you alone and you’ll never have to see me again. But don’t you think we should get to know one another before you decide that? You can meet my wife, Clarke. You can’t meet Emori, she’s our other soulmate, because she’s out of the country on some business for Clarke and I.” Murphy steps toward her again and this time Raven doesn’t move away.

“I want to meet your wife first.” Raven lifts her head defiantly. “I want to hear her say that this is how it works before I get to know you. I don’t want to waste my time getting to know a liar.”

Murphy nods slowly. “Okay. That’s fair. I can’t even say I blame you. So, come have dinner with us.”

Raven glances down at her dirty coveralls. “You want me to come have dinner at the palace with you and your wife looking like this?”

“Yeah.” Murphy shrugs. “Believe it or not, we believe in casual.” He pauses. “Although I should probably know your name before I bring you home.”

“Raven. Raven Reyes.” She starts to extend her hand before realizing that it’s covered in grease. She sighs. “Fine, I’ll come to dinner. But you’ll have to give me a minute because I have to get cleaned up.” She turns to head to the back but stops. “You still didn’t tell me which car is yours.” 

Murphy laughs. “It’s the Camaro parked out front.”

“Of course it is.” Raven shakes her head. “I’ll get you the keys after I clean up.” 

Raven heads to the back, scrubbing her arms and face before changing clothes—thank the Gods she keeps an extra set here. Is she really doing this? Is she going to the fucking Fae palace to meet the Queen, wife to her soulmate? How has her life come to this?

“You’ve got this Raven,” she says to her reflection. “If he turns out to be a liar, you leave. Simple as that.” She nods, double-checking her reflection as her nerves flare up. It’s no big thing. She can do this.

* * *

**December 16, 2007**

Raven throws the invitation straight in the trash, anger coursing through her. Who the hell does Finn think he is inviting her to his wedding? He’d broken her heart over ten years ago and it still hurts. She hadn’t had anyone in her life that looked out for her until Finn and then he’d destroyed her. Every time she thinks she’s over it something happens that brings it back up. Fuck him.

Raven throws herself onto the couch, eyes catching on her Soul Book sitting on the coffee table. Unlike most everyone else in the world, Raven didn’t look at her Soul Book often. After her dad died, she’d put it away and hadn’t looked at it until her mom died when she was eighteen. Now, she still only looks at it every few years. Her friends think she’s crazy, but honestly, she’s just confused. She doesn’t have just one soulmate, but two—one of which is a woman. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just that she’s never been attracted to or interested in women so it confuses her. 

She picks up the book, flipping through it. It wasn’t until she was older that she realized that her other soulmate is the fucking king of the Fae—who’s already married. That had been a fun picture to see in her book, him on his wedding day. She’ll admit that he’s hot, but she would never do that to his wife. She’s been on the other side of that, there’s no way she can do that to someone else. Not to mention she’s human. What the hell would the Fae King want with a human soulmate?

So even though Raven knows exactly how to find one of her soulmates, she won’t do it. She flips to the back of the book, curious as to what’s been added since the last time she looked. 

“Holy shit.” Her eyes grow big as she sees a picture of her two soulmates together. They’ve met and they look so in love. Raven’s eyes tear up.

She wishes she were there with them—wishes that they were looking at her with that love in their eyes. But more than that she is crying for his wife and kids because while she said she wouldn’t seek him out, she still keeps up with him. What happens to Queen Clarke and their kids now that he’s met her? 

Raven runs a hand across the page that is now dotted with her tears. She’s torn. She wants to hate them for ruining someone else’s happiness, but also she wants to be there with them. She wants to love them and have them love her. 

“No.” Raven slams the Soul Book shut, wiping the tears from her face. She won’t be weak and selfish. She will be better than her mother, than Finn. She will be strong.

* * *

**October 31, 2008**

Murphy doesn’t know why he’s so nervous—it doesn’t make sense. Of all the things to be nervous about, it shouldn’t be Emori and Raven meeting. They’re each other’s soulmates just as much as they’re his. It’s been nice having the last few weeks to get to know Raven on her own though, he knows that having him as a soulmate alone would be a lot. Adding on the fact that they share a third soulmate is a lot, especially since Raven has already told him that she’s never been into girls before. 

So here he is on Halloween getting ready for two of the most important women in his life to meet one another. At least Clarke will be there. That’ll help. Which is kind of sad. “Come on, Murphy,” he mutters to himself. “You don’t need a buffer. It’s going to be fine. They’ll love each other.”

“Talking to yourself already?” Clarke laughs.

Murphy turns to find her leaning against the door frame. He shakes his head as the lights begin to flicker on and off—his magic does not approve of his anxiety. “Why am I so nervous?”

“Because they’re both important to you. _This_ is important to you.” Clarke walks over to take his hand in hers. “Of course you’re nervous.”

Murphy pulls her in for a hug, letting her calming aura help settle him. He’s never been more grateful for Clarke’s own magic than in that moment. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“On the upside, you’ll never have to find out.” Clarke laughs against his chest as she returns his hug. “On the downside, you’re going to eventually be living in a house with three women, a small girl child and a small boy child. You’re so screwed.”

Murphy laughs. “Yeah, I am.” He pulls back to look down at her. “But you know what? I’ve never been happier.”

Clarke nods as she steps out of his arms. “Happiness looks good on you. But we should probably get downstairs. I’m sure Raven is wearing a hole into the carpet and we don’t want her to be alone when Emori comes home do we?”

“Probably not.” He follows her out of the room, losing himself in his thoughts. He knows Raven is nervous about tonight. He should have come down earlier to keep her company, but he’d been afraid that his nervousness would make her even more nervous. 

They find Raven in their office doing just as Clarke had suspected, pacing the small space as she mutters under her breath. Murphy can’t make out what she’s saying, but it brings a smile to his face.

“Raven?” 

Raven jerks to a stop when she hears his voice, spinning around to face him with wide eyes. “What if she hates me?”

Murphy bites his lip to keep himself from laughing, but Clarke doesn’t bother to hold hers in. He elbows her before making his way over to Raven. “She’s going to love you, how can she not?”

“I mean, I like you and I don’t like anyone,” Clarke supplies.

“Liar.” Raven shakes her head, but she laughs. 

Murphy opens his mouth to respond, but cuts off when he hears the front door open followed by, “Hello?”

“We’re in here!” Murphy calls out as Raven grabs his hand, squeezing as if he’s her tether. “It’s okay,” he tells her, kissing her temple lightly before helping her to her feet.

A few seconds later Emori is pushing into the room and damn if she isn’t more beautiful. He hates when she’s away, but every time she comes back it reminds Murphy how lucky he is. He wants to hug her, but he can’t let go of Raven so instead, he gestures for her to come closer. “Mori, this is Raven. Raven this is Emori.”

Emori hesitates for a moment before she’s rushing across the room, throwing her arms around Raven. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Raven drops his hand, arms going around Emori. She sighs, eyes falling shut and Murphy can’t help but smile. His eyes meet Clarke’s across the room. Clarke gives him a small smile before ducking out to leave them alone. Murphy sits on the couch, letting Raven and Emori have their moment. 

* * *

**November 10, 2008**

“So why are you hiding over here all by yourself?” Clarke asks as she walks up to Raven who is staring out the window.

Raven turns to her with a smile. “Just needed a break. This whole world you guys live in is crazy.”

Clarke returns her smile. “It is and I know it’s a lot for people who aren’t raised in it. Doubly hard for you since you’re a human. I’m sure a lot of what we do seems strange.”

“Only a little.” Raven laughs. “Honestly, this whole situation is overwhelming. One of my soulmates is King of the Fae, who is married to one of the most badass women I’ve ever met. My other is a woman, which is weird for me because I’ve never been attracted to a woman before.”

Clarke nods. “I have.” She pauses. “Are you attracted to Emori?”

“Yes.” Raven’s answer is immediate, with no hesitation.

“That’s good.” Clarke lays a hand on Raven’s arm. “It’ll just take time. Also, thanks for calling me badass. It’s not a word often used to describe me.” 

“It should be used all the time.” Raven frowns. “How are you okay with all of this?”

And isn’t that the question? Clarke considers for a moment—this isn’t a question with a simple answer. Sometimes she’s not sure she is okay with all of this. “I want him to be happy.”

“What about you?”

Clarke laughs. “I am happy and my soulmate is out there somewhere so hopefully, I’ll meet him soon.”

“It just doesn’t seem fair.” Raven sighs.

“What doesn’t seem fair?” Clarke watches Raven, wishing for once that she was an empath like Emori. Then maybe she’d be able to figure out what Raven is trying to say because obviously, the other woman doesn’t know what she’s trying to say either.

Raven shakes her head. “I’ve been on the other side of this.” She gestures between herself and Clarke. “Someone I loved with all my heart cheated on me. I walked in on them. It broke me for a long time. I don’t see how you’re okay with this.”

Now Clarke gets it. Raven feels guilty. “Come with me.” She holds her hand out to Raven who takes it hesitantly. Clarke leads her down the hall away from the party and into their office. She shuts the door behind them before leading her to sit on the couch. She keeps ahold of her hand, squeezing lightly as she catches Raven’s gaze. “You have no reason to feel guilty.”

“But I do.” Raven’s eyes fill with tears. “I’m helping to take your husband from you.”

“But you’re not.” Clarke gives her a small smile. “I love John. Of course, I do. He’s always been there for me—for every big moment in my life. He’s the father to my children. But there’s always been something missing between us and that’s because we’re not soulmates.” She pauses. “You’re not taking anything from me. John and I will always be married. There’s no divorce for the Royal Pair so really I’m keeping you and Emori from ever having that.”

Raven laughs, the sound watery from the tears that she’s obviously trying to fight. She feels calmer the longer she’s with Clarke—Murphy had explained that’s what Clarke’s magic does. “Marriage is overrated.”

“This isn’t a normal situation. We’re all going to have to make concessions.” Clarke is still smiling, but she knows that it’s not as bright as it was before. “You and Emori have to deal with your soulmate having a wife—you’ll never be able to marry him. I don’t know if I’ll ever meet my soulmate. He might not be able to deal with this life that I live. Which yes, that makes me sad, but at least I know that the three of you have found one another—which is enough for me. Being alone wouldn’t be so bad—I do have the kids.”

Raven squeezes her hand. “You’ll meet him and he’ll love you. How could he not?” She sniffs before swiping at the tears that have started to fall. “And even if he doesn’t show up—which, his loss—you’ll never be alone. You have us. Always.”

Clarke laughs as her own eyes fill with tears before she pulls Raven in for a hug. She hopes that she was able to make the other woman feel better because she certainly made Clarke feel better. 

* * *

#  _Queens of Scandal_

**Friday, January 1, 2010**

Is three really a crowd? 

By Josephine Lightbourne

In years past, King John has been known to ring in the new year at home with his wife, Queen Clarke and their two children Holt, 9, and Skylar, 2. This year he decided to hit the town with his soulmates. Yes, you read that correctly—as in more than one. 

In their first public outing, King John has introduced his _two_ soulmates: Emori Laurant, 31, and Raven Reyes, 30, to the world. They were spotted at the exclusive Nightfall Hills nightclub and then a private party at the home of Seelie Roan Kingsley, owner of Nightfall Hills. And it was very obvious that they’re not just friends. Unless that Royal Pair regularly use tongue when kissing their friends. 

What does this mean for our Royal Pair? Is it over? Is there a divorce in their future? How will that even work? Are the Royal Pair allowed to divorce? Actually, I do know the answer to that. Following some extensive research, I have discovered that they are not allowed to divorce. Once they are crowned they are required to stay married and rule together. 

This is the first time since Soul Books began appearing that the Royal Pair hasn’t been soulmates—or at least the first time that they’ve admitted to it. Is it the changing of society that has allowed this to happen? Or is it just the first time that the Royal Pair hasn’t cared what others thought? I, for one, would like to know. Until next time!

* * *

**December 2, 2008**

Emori walks into the living room and finds Raven sitting on the couch, legs curled up as she reads. “Hey,” she says, suddenly shy.

Raven looks up from her book, blinking for a moment before smiling. “Hey, Emori. What’s up?” She closes the book and turns her attention to Emori.

“So, I hate getting ready for these stupid parties.” Emori laughs as she sits down beside Raven. “But since Clarke has been doing this forever I usually get ready with her so she can help me out. I’d really like it if you’d get ready with us?”

Raven nods. “Probably a good idea after the last time I got myself ready.”

“You looked beautiful.” Emori reaches out and lays a hand on top of Raven’s. She’s still unsure of how to act around Raven. Obviously, they’ve been around one another in the last month, but they’ve never been alone for a long period of time. It’s something that Emori wants to rectify, but she doesn’t want to push Raven. 

“Thank you.” Raven ducks her head as her cheeks flush.

“What are you reading?” Emori asks, gesturing with her head to the book that Raven has set on the couch, but doesn’t move her hand. 

Raven looks at the book. “Nothing exciting.”

“How can you be sure if I think it’s exciting until you tell me?” Emori raises her brows.

“You do have a point.” Raven picks up the book with her free hand, showing the cover to Emori. _Understanding Automotive Electronics: An Engineering Perspective_.

Emori smiles, excitement building. “You’re into engineering?”

Raven nods. “I was in school to be a mechanical engineer, but money got tight so I had to drop out. I still like to read up on it as much as I can.”

“I minored in engineering.” Emori laughs at the look on Raven’s face. “I know. I found it fascinating, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do for a career.”

“What was your major?”

“English.” Emori laughs. “I confused the hell out of a lot of people.”

Raven shakes her head. “So how did you end up an assistant to Murphy and Clarke?” She sounds bewildered.

“It paid a hell of a lot better than my copywriting job.” Emori grins. “Plus, I knew he was my soulmate. So I applied and apparently Wells knew I was his soulmate because the interview wasn’t really an interview.”

“Fucking Wells.” Raven laughs. “Do you know he’s the one that gave Murphy the name of Sinclair’s shop?”

Emori sighs. “Why am I not surprised?” She pauses. “Though I am surprised that he hasn’t found Clarke’s soulmate yet.”

“Oh, I’m sure he will. Just as soon as he can. He’s such a busybody.” Raven turns her hand, linking her fingers with Emori’s. “I should’ve known we’d have stuff in common.”

“You mean besides John?” Emori laughs.

Raven scoffs. “You and Clarke can keep calling him John. I can’t do it. He just looks like a Murphy to me.” She takes a deep breath before looking down at her lap as she bites her lip.

Emori doesn’t say anything because it feels like Raven has something to say and she doesn’t want to scare her off. So she just sits there, rubbing her thumb along Raven’s hand. And even though she knows that Raven is trying to figure out how to say something Emori feels comfortable in the silence. She likes just being there with Raven.

Finally, Raven nods and then meets Emori’s eyes. “Will you kiss me?”

Well, that was certainly not what Emori had been expecting. Nerves course through her. It’s not that she doesn’t want to kiss Raven, because of course, she wants to kiss her. Raven is gorgeous. What makes her nervous is the fact that Raven has admitted that she’s never been with a girl—has never been attracted to a girl before. Emori’s afraid that she’s going to fuck it up and where will that leave them?

Emori takes a deep breath and nods. “Of course.”

They both sit there for another moment before they both laugh nervously. They’re both nervous, it’s fine. Emori leans over slowly, wanting to give Raven ample time to change her mind. When she doesn’t, Emori brushes her lips across Raven’s gently—just a quick pass of their lips before pulling back.

“Is that okay?”

“Yes,” Raven sighs before dropping her hold on Emori’s hand. Her hands come up to thread through Emori’s hair as she pulls her close—initiating the kiss herself this time. This kiss lasts longer as Raven’s tongue brushes against Emori’s lips and she parts her lips to allow the other woman to explore her mouth and lips.

Eventually, they break apart, both breathing hard. “I like kissing you,” Raven says with a grin. “It’s not quite how imagined it would be though.”

“Please don’t tell me it was worse than you imagined?” Emori asks.

Raven laughs. “No. It was better—much better.” She pauses. “I want to thank you for taking your time with me. I’ve been stressing out about this for a while.”

Emori leans over and brushes her lips against Raven’s again. “I’m happy to move at whatever speed you need me to.”

Raven smiles before leaning forward to capture Emori’s lips with her own again. Emori doesn’t know how exactly Raven came to the decision that today was the day for this, but she will be putting up zero complaints. 

* * *

**April 20, 1988**

“Mom.” Clarke tugs on the bottom of Abby’s shirt, trying to get her attention. “Mom!”

Abby pulls the phone away from her face, covering the mouthpiece with her hand. “Clarke, I’m on the phone.”

Clarke huffs, stomping out of the room. She needs to find her dad then. “Daddy?” she calls out.

“In here, pumpkin.” Jake’s voice filters out of his office.

Clarke grins, skipping down the hallway—annoyance at her mom already forgotten. She skids to a stop beside his desk. “Daddy!”

“What can I do for you, pumpkin?” Jake sets aside whatever it is he’s working on to turn to face her.

“Mama was supposed to take me to the palace, but I think she forgot.” Clarke pouts. “John and I are supposed to be having lunch with the Wallaces and then we get to play in the gardens. She won’t get off the phone and I’m going to be late.”

Jake glances at his watch before nodding. “Your mom has a lot on her mind, one of her patients is really sick. But I think if we leave now I should be able to get you there on time. Go grab your stuff and meet me at the front door in five minutes.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” Clarke climbs up into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him before pulling back to kiss him on the cheek. “You’re the best dad in the whole world.”

“And you’re the best daughter in the whole world,” Jake says as he sets her on the ground. “Now go.”

Clarke runs from Jake’s office to grab her backpack that she had packed the night before in her excitement. It’s not that she doesn’t get to see John most days, but he’s her best friend. Plus they’re getting married one day. Maybe she can convince her dad to let John and Wells come over after and spend the night. It’s been a while since they had a sleepover.

She dashes to the door, tapping her foot until her dad appears. Jake grins down at her. “So impatient.”

“Daddy,” Clarke whines as Jake ruffles her hair. “I have to look my best for the king and queen. Don’t mess up my hair.”

Jake laughs as he takes her hand, leading her to the car. “You can fix it in the car. Also, your mom says she’s sorry she forgot, but she’s about to head into the hospital.” He helps her into the car, making sure that her seatbelt is done up before heading to the driver’s seat.

As soon as they’re on the way Clarke asks, “Dad, would it be okay if John and Wells spend the night?”

Jake is quiet for a moment before he nods. “If Mr. Murphy is still there when we get to the palace I’ll talk to him and I’ll call Mr. Jaha when I get home.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” Clarke grins to herself, looking out the window. The drive to the palace isn’t far. Because she’s the princess her parents were given a house that is close to the palace so that she would be able to do her lessons there easily. She doesn’t get to go to school like the other kids—she and John have to take lessons at the palace instead. But her dad makes sure that she’s involved in other activities so that she can have friends besides John. Although, really it’s just John and Wells. Most kids are scared to be friends with her and John—which is fine. They have each other.

“Okay, baby girl,” Jake calls as they pull up in front of the palace. “Looks like John and Mr. Murphy just got here. Be good. Just give me a call when you’re ready to come home.”

Clarke tears her seatbelt off and grabs her backpack before launching herself out of the car. “John!” she yells as she runs toward him.

Murphy turns to her frowning. “I told you to call me Murphy.”

“Not going to happen.” Clarke smiles as she reaches down to grab Murphy’s hand, glancing over her shoulder to where her dad is talking to Murphy’s dad. “Dad is asking if you and Wells can stay over tonight.”

“Okay.” Murphy shrugs as they start toward the palace.

Clarke frowns. “What’s wrong, John? You love staying over at my house.”

Murphy looks away from her for a moment before he looks back at her, eyes filled with tears. “My dad is sick.”

“Oh no!” Clarke stops, throwing her arms around Murphy. “John, I’m so sorry. I’m sure he’ll be fine. My mom can fix him. I’m sure of it.” Clarke hopes that she’s not promising something that she shouldn’t be. She’s old enough to know that people still get sick and die—even with magic in the world, but she doesn’t know what will happen if Murphy’s dad dies. She begins to cry when she feels Murphy’s hot tears hit her neck.

They stand there for a while, wrapped in each other’s small arms as they cry together. Clarke knows that they’ll be late for lunch, but this is more important. He is more important. So she holds onto him as he holds onto her, comforting one another. It has to be okay. That’s all there is to it. She reaches out with her magic, wanting to calm him the best that she can as the lights lining the street begin to flash on and off, a sign that Murphy is losing control. It’s them against the world.

* * *

**February 14, 1996**

Murphy paces the entryway of the Griffin house, nerves getting the better of him. It’s his and Clarke’s first official date and why had he thought that Valentine’s Day was the best day for a first date. He’s been beating himself up for the last week. This is what he gets for listening to Wells. Wells, who said it would be romantic to have a first date on Valentine’s Day. Wells, who’s never had a girlfriend in his life. Why had he listened to Wells?

“Murphy, son. Breathe.” Jake is leaning in the doorway to the study, grinning at him. 

Murphy jerks around to face Jake, face flushing. He hadn’t heard him come up. “Mr. Griffin.”

Jake laughs, shaking his head. “When did you go back to calling me, Mr. Griffin?”

“Uh...when I asked your daughter out on a date?” Murphy sighs. “It seemed like the respectful thing to do.”

“Murphy, I’ve known you since the day after you were born. We’ve known since that day that you and Clarke would get married. It’s smart that the two of you decided to start dating. Can you imagine if you’d just gone from good friends to married overnight?” Jake shakes his head. “This doesn’t change anything between us.”

“Thank the Gods.” Murphy feels like he can finally breathe. Jake had been a father figure to Murphy after his own dad had died days before his and Clarke’s eighth birthday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His mom lost herself in the bottle, leaving Murphy to rely on Griffin's kindness ever since—well, mainly Jake as Abby is usually busy at the hospital. He doesn’t know what he would do if he didn’t have that support system anymore.

Jake walks over and lays his hands on Murphy’s shoulders. “You’re family, Murphy. You will always be family. Never doubt that.” He pauses. “Though we’re going to have to make some changes to the sleeping arrangements when you stay over.”

Murphy’s face flushes an even deeper red as he realizes what Jake is referring to. “Oh, we’re not-” he trails off. “I wouldn’t-” Shit. He just doesn’t know how to respond to this.

“It’s okay, Murphy.” Jake laughs. “It needs to be done anyways. The two of you and Wells are too old to be sleeping in the same bed. It’s okay.”

“Dad? Murphy?” Clarke’s voice is quiet.

Murphy turns his head, jaw-dropping as his eyes land on her where she is still standing on the stairs. It’s not that Murphy hasn’t thought about how pretty Clarke is—of course, he has. But she looks even more beautiful tonight. Her hair is in some kind of updo, a flower in her hair. She’s wearing a dress that shows off a little more leg than he’s seen her show unless she was in a bathing suit and while it’s not cut especially low, Murphy’s eyes zero in on the cleavage that he can see. He is a teenage boy, after all. 

He walks over to the bottom of the stairs and shoves the roses at her as he tries to get his mouth to work. He wants to tell her that she looks beautiful, but his mouth is so dry. It’s like he’s seeing her in a whole new light and he doesn’t know how to handle it. 

Clarke gives him a small smile as she takes the flowers before finishing her descent down the stairs. “Thank you, John,” she says as she pauses to kiss his cheek before continuing around him. 

“You look beautiful, pumpkin,” Jake tells his daughter. “Why don’t you put those in some water?” There’s a pause and Murphy can hear Clarke leave the room. “Are you okay, Murphy?”

Murphy swallows deeply before turning back to face Jake, eyes wide. “I-” He shrugs. He doesn’t even know what the hell he’s trying to say.

“It's okay to be nervous, but don’t forget that it’s just Clarke.” Jake sends him a wink as Clarke walks back in.

“You ready to go?” she asks.

Murphy nods, holding his arm out to her. “You look beautiful, Clarke.”

Clarke blushes as she slides her arm into his. “Thank you.”

“Did you guys need a ride?” Jake asks as they reach the door.

“No.” Murphy shakes his head. “The King sent a car for us.”

Jake laughs. “The perks of being the Royal Pair, I guess. I wish I could’ve had a car to drive me around for my first date. Have a good time, but remember to have her home by 10:00. I know you guys don’t have lessons in the morning, but I don’t want the two of you out all night.”

“Of course, Jake. We’ll be back by 10:00, I promise.” Murphy lets out a sigh of relief after the door closes behind them. “I don’t know why but I was terrified of your dad tonight.”

Clarke looks at him sharply. “Did you do something?”

Murphy shakes his head. “No, he actually reminded me that I’m family.” He shrugs. “But I’m taking his daughter out on a date so I freaked out.”

“Oh, John.” Clarke laughs. “You act like he doesn’t know that we’re going to get married in what? Two and a half years? What’s he going to do? Threaten to not let you see me? He can’t do that.”

Murphy smiles as the driver opens the door to the car. “I guess I didn’t think that through very well.” He helps Clarke into the backseat before climbing in beside her. 

“So, can you tell me what we’re doing finally?” Clarke chooses to sit in the middle seat instead of moving over and Murphy does not mind one bit.

“Dinner first and then after that, it’s a surprise.” Murphy bites his lip as he tries to fight his smile. He knows how much Clarke hates surprises so the fact that he won’t tell her what they’re doing has been driving her crazy. But he wants to surprise her—he put a lot of work into this night and he wants to see her face when she sees it. So she’s just going to have to deal with it.

Clarke pouts as the car starts to move, but then she bites her lip and turns to face him. “I want to try something before we get to dinner.”

“Okay?” Murphy is so confused. What the hell could she want to try before dinner?

“Will you kiss me?” Clarke won’t meet his eyes as she asks.

Murphy is sure that the look on his face is comical. He’d been actively not thinking about kissing her because he’s nervous and now she wants to do it _now_? He takes a deep breath before lifting her chin with his finger. “Yes.”

Clarke’s smile lights up her face. “I figure if we get it over with it now I won’t spend the entire night worrying about it.”

“Okay.” Murphy leans forward, brushing his lips against hers and pulling away. “Was that okay?”

Clarke nods. “Can we do that again?”

Murphy leans back over to kiss her and this one lasts longer as they learn one another’s lips. It’s nice and Murphy is grateful that Clarke is his first kiss—there’s no one else he’d rather experience all of his firsts with.

“Thank you.” Clarke giggles as they break apart, sitting back in the seat.

Murphy smiles as he takes her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. Maybe dating Clarke won’t be so hard. 

* * *

**December 2, 1998**

Murphy paces the small room, trying to get himself to calm down. But it’s not working. 

“Dude, you’re going to wear a hole in the ground.” Wells laughs as he comes to lay a hand on Murphy’s shoulder. “What are you so worried about?”

Murphy shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe that Clarke will resent me for having to marry me?”

“You’re an idiot. Clarke loves you and she’s so happy to be marrying you.” Wells rolls his eyes.

“I wish Jake was here.” Murphy looks down as a wave of sadness washes over him. They’d lost him about a year and a half ago—a freak accident at a site he was working at. A week after his mom had died when she’d decided that driving drunk was a good idea. It had been a rough year for him and Clarke. And now Abby is already remarried, which has not helped Clarke’s relationship with her.

Wells nods. “Yeah, you and me both.” He pauses. “Speaking of which I’d better go check on the bride. It’s getting close to time for me to walk her down the aisle. I’ll see you down there.”

Murphy takes a deep breath as the double doors open in front of him. It’s time. He begins his walk down the aisle, unbelieving at the number of people here to see them get married. Most of the people here are royals from the Seelie and Unseelie courts—people that they’ve never met. But such is the life as the Royal Pair. 

Murphy bows when he reaches the end of the aisle where King Dante stands. It is the duty of the King to marry the next Royal Pair. Which is fine by Murphy seeing as Dante is the closest thing he has to family besides Clarke and Abby. 

As the music changes Murphy stands, turning to the double doors that have once again been closed. They open slowly to reveal Clarke, escorted by Wells. And suddenly Murphy can’t breathe again. 

Clarke is magnificent as she walks down the aisle in her white dress, hugging her body in all the right places, blonde curls falling down her back. Everything and everyone else in the room is forgotten as they lock eyes. Her smile lights up her face and Murphy returns it. 

Wells places Clarke’s hand in his and he goes through the ceremony on autopilot, unable to take his eyes off of Clarke. How had he gotten so lucky? The woman that will be his wife in a matter of minutes is not only beautiful and charming, but his best friend and he loves her. They’re pretty sure that they’re not soulmates, but that doesn’t matter to them. They’ll figure it out when the time comes.

“And I now pronounce you husband and wife,” King Dante says. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Murphy doesn’t hesitate as he cups her face and kisses her, probably not as chastely as he should considering how many people are watching, but he doesn’t care. And then they’re walking back down the aisle—him and his wife.

They spend over an hour taking pictures before the reception. He tries to convince Clarke on more than one occasion that they should duck out of the reception early, but she reminds him that this is their duty. So they stay. 

Finally, they’re being sent off and the moment that the car door shuts behind them Clarke is climbing into Murphy’s lap, lips desperate on his. This is slightly more difficult with the massive dress she’s wearing, but he doesn’t care. 

Thankfully the partition between them and the driver is already up as they kiss. Murphy isn’t worried about the wedding night—they’re not virgins. Not that they’ve ever slept with anyone but each other, but they’d lost their virginity to one another on their 16th birthday and in the last two years they’ve slept together plenty.

Murphy laughs against Clarke’s lips before he pulls back. “Clarke, I love you, but how about we wait until we get to our new place?”

Clarke pouts as she climbs off of him. “You’re no fun.”

“Or it could be that I know for a fact that our new house is a five-minute drive and I don’t think you want the driver to open the door to you on my lap.” Murphy grins and then leans over to give her a quick kiss. 

He’s seen their new house, unlike Clarke, which is how he knows this to be true. He also has a surprise waiting for Clarke at their new home. When the car pulls to a stop, Murphy doesn’t bother to wait for the driver to come around and open the door, throwing it open and helping Clarke out. 

He leads her to the front door, swooping down to pick her up in his arms even as she squeals.

“John! What are you doing?”

“I’m carrying my wife over the threshold like I’m supposed to.” Murphy laughs as he struggles to get the doorknob turned before kicking the door in. He sets Clarke on her feet before shutting the door.

Clarke is already walking down the hallway, following the candles that had been set up. Murphy follows behind her, smiling. It’s just as he imagined it would be. A row of candles along the length of the hallway until they veer off to the right leading into the bedroom.

Clarke gasps when she steps into the room. Murphy wraps his arms around her, setting his chin on her shoulder. “Just because it’s not our first time doesn’t mean that our first time as man and wife can’t be special.”

His eyes scan the room which is lit only by candlelight, rose petals sprinkling the floor and bed. He wishes he could have made their first time this special, but at sixteen he’d thought that the one candle he lit beside his bed was romantic. Now he knows better. He reaches over to grab the remote from the dresser, pressing a button until music begins to play slowly throughout.

Murphy holds his hand out to Clarke as he dips his head. “Dance with me?”

“Of course.” Clarke smiles as she puts her hand in his and he pulls her into his arms. They dance slowly, just looking into each other’s eyes as they move. 

Murphy hopes that he can make her happy. He loves her and he knows that the life set before them isn’t always going to be easy, but his one goal in life is to make her happy. He hopes that he can be the husband that she deserves. Because she deserves the world.

* * *

**August 5, 2010**

“Skylar, if you do not come here right this instant you will regret it.” Clarke closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. 

Skylar laughs, a tinkling sound. “You have to find me first, Mommy.”

Clarke will not kill her daughter, no matter how irritated she is. “If you come out now, I won’t tell your dad about this.” She pauses, biting her lip, and then Skylar appears before her. “You’ve got to stop going invisible. Mommy worries when she can’t find you.”

Skylar frowns, eyes wide as she looks up at Clarke. “But Mommy, we were playing hide and seek. I was hiding.”

Clarke bites back her laughter. “Going invisible is not fair to your brother and it worries me when I can’t see you. Would you like it if Holt turned into a puddle of water while you were playing hide and seek? Or a block of ice? And what happens if you got hurt while you were invisible? What if I couldn’t get to you?”

“Well, the upside is if she was invisible and passed out she’d become visible again,” a deep voice speaks from behind her.

Clarke and Skylar spin around to find a tall man with black curls and deep brown eyes leaning against the door, a grin on his face. For a moment Clarke forgets how to speak as their eyes lock. Holy shit. It can’t be.

“Who are you?” Skylar asks as she walks over to the man.

“I’m Bellamy.” His eyes stay locked on Clarke’s for just a moment as he leans down. “And who might you be?”

“Skylar. I’m three.” Skylar holds up three fingers, grinning proudly. “This is my mommy.”

Bellamy nods his head to Clarke. “All Fae know your mother, Skylar. Queen Clarke.”

Clarke blinks for a moment before squeezing Skylar’s shoulder. “Baby, why don’t you go find Holt?”

“But, Mommy, we were playing hide and seek.” Skylar pouts as she pulls on Clarke’s pants, completely oblivious to what is going on around her.

“I’m sure you can convince Holt to play hide and seek. Go on.” Clarke finally tears her eyes away from Bellamy to smile at Skylar. She watches her daughter stomp away before turning her attention back to the man that stands in front of her—her soulmate. “I wondered if I’d ever meet you.”

Bellamy offers her a small smile. “Once I figured out that my soulmate was the future ruler of the Fae Courts I knew that it would be a long time before I would get to meet you.” He shakes his head. “I was overseas when you and the King were crowned. It’s hard to figure out when you should introduce yourself to your married queen as her soulmate. And then I found out there was an open tutor position so I applied.”

“Damn it, Wells.” Clarke shakes her head. She can’t believe he did this again.

Bellamy gives her a strange look. “What?”

“Wells, our Chief of Staff? He hired you, right?” When Bellamy nods she laughs. “He hired Emori, one of John’s soulmates, as our assistant without bothering to tell either of us that his soulmate would be working for us.” She waves her hand. “But that’s neither here nor there.”

“Okay.” Bellamy considers her for a moment. “I did make the right decision, didn’t I?”

Clarke laughs. “Yes, most definitely. I knew there was a chance I might not meet my soulmate. This life isn’t for everyone. You could’ve chosen to not meet me, found happiness elsewhere.” 

“I considered it.” Bellamy shrugs. “But I also knew I could never be truly happy without being by your side.”

Clarke ducks her head as she flushes. Who knew that meeting your soulmate could feel this awkward, but so right at the same time. “And how long did you know that your soulmate was your future leader?”

“I think I was ten?” Bellamy steps closer to her. “I was five by the time you were born so I was fascinated by the pictures that appeared in my Soul Book—I looked at it most days. One day my mom gasped when she saw one of the pictures, a picture of the future king and queen at a press conference. I was old enough to know what that meant.” He pauses. “I stopped looking at it every day then because I knew I had a long wait ahead of me.”

“I’m sorry,” she says softly as she drifts closer to him. It was like there was an invisible string pulling her to him. 

Bellamy smiles. “I’m not.” They’re close enough to touch now, but neither makes a move to touch the other. 

“Clarke?” Murphy calls out, voice laced with worry as the door flies open. “Skylar said that there was a strange man here.”

Clarke jerks away from Bellamy, guilt coursing through her—though she knows she’s doing nothing wrong. She watches as Murphy comes to a stop, glancing between her and Bellamy and she sees the moment that recognition washes over him.

“Oh.” Murphy awkwardly adjusts his weight from foot to foot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“I’m Bellamy.” Bellamy walks over, offering his hand to Murphy. “It’s nice to meet your King John.”

“It’s Murphy—just Murphy.” Murphy shakes Bellamy’s hand, shooting Clarke a quick smile. “Only two people call me John and that’s because they refuse to call me anything else.”

Clarke shrugs. “Sorry, not sorry?”

Murphy clears his throat. “Well, now that I know you’re not being murdered or abducted I’m going to go.” He turns and quickly leaves, shutting the door behind him.

“Well, that wasn’t awkward at all, was it?” Clarke laughs.

“What? Meeting my king, also known as your husband?” Bellamy shakes his head. “No, not at all awkward.”

Clarke’s eyes lock with Bellamy’s again and everything else melts away. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” Bellamy hesitates for a moment before walking over and taking her hands into his. “I’m sorry it took so long. I wasn’t sure that you would welcome me. It wasn’t until you and King—I mean, Murphy introduced his soulmates to the world that I figured now was the time.”

Clarke shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter how long it took. You’re here now.” And she means it. Her soulmate is here. She won’t be alone anymore. 

* * *

**December 2, 1998**

It’s late when Bellamy makes his way into his room. He’s been traveling back and forth between the Fae Realm and the Mortal Realm. Not to mention from continent to continent in each of each realm. Having been raised in the Fae Realm but having attended college in the Mortal Realm has made him indispensable to his boss Charles Pike. Technically Bellamy is a teacher, but sometimes he’s sent in to do other things that he’s not allowed to talk about.

It’s been nearly a month since he’s been home and all he wants to do is sleep in his own bed, but he knows that there’s something he has to do before then. He picks up his Soul Book from his nightstand, where he always keeps it and begins to flip through it. 

Past the pages of the baby with the big blue eyes. Past the pages of the little blonde girl with the pale floppy-haired boy that always seemed to be by her side. Past the pages when he’d realized that his soulmate was the future Fae Queen and that the boy that was always at his side was her future husband. Past their first date. 

Bellamy is sure that there will be a new entry—after all, he knows that today is. And there is it. Princess Clarke, his soulmate, beautiful as ever in a wedding dress as she marries the prince. His heart breaks just a little as he sees the love in both of their eyes and reminds himself that this is why he has to stay away. Not only is it the law that soulmates cannot reveal themselves to the Royal Pair until after they’re crowned, but also because he doesn’t need this heartache in his life.

Something drops on the page, surprising him. It’s then that he realizes that he’s crying. He slams the Soul Book shut and sets it onto the nightstand. It’s fine. He’ll be fine—he always is. He shuts his eyes as he reminds himself to shut it down. He’s been trained for this. He knows exactly how to lock away his feelings. When he’s calm once more he lays down and sighs. Sleep won’t come easy tonight. 

* * *

#  _Queens of Scandal_

**Thursday, August 19, 2010**

Is the Queen Stepping Out? 

By Josephine Lightbourne-Santiago

Following the news earlier this year that King John has introduced his soulmates to the world, Queen Clarke has been spotted out and about with another man. This man appears to be Bellamy Blake, 35. Could this be the queen’s soulmate? Has she finally found someone now that her king has abandoned her?

I’m sure that life is lonely in that palace for the queen now that the king has found himself some new playthings. One can only imagine what she has to deal with. Will she introduce Blake to the world? Tell us if he’s her soulmate? 

Or maybe he’s just a distraction to pass the time. Not that anyone can blame her. See the picture above if you don’t believe me. If I wasn’t happily married I wouldn’t mind going in for a round or two with him. Until next time!

* * *

**August 23, 2010**

Bellamy sighs as he shuts his book, eyes scanning the library. Since he arrived at the palace less than three weeks ago this is the room that he has spent the most time in. It’s obvious that it has been neglected in the past, but Bellamy is giddy to be surrounded by all of the books. And there are so many books. Thousands of books line the shelves that go from floor to ceiling on two different floors.

“How did I know I’d find you here?” Murphy slumps down into the chair across from Bellamy. “How many books have you read since you’ve been here?”

Bellamy eyes the king, unsure why he’s here. They haven’t interacted much except when the kids were around since he’s their tutor. Honestly, being around Murphy makes him nervous. He knows that Murphy has his own soulmates so he doesn’t think that he’s upset that Bellamy showed up. But there’s a small part of him that’s waiting for Murphy to tell him to get out—to get away from his wife.

“A few.” Bellamy shrugs.

Murphy snorts. “I think it’s more than a few. Fucking nerd.” He shakes his head before his face turns serious. “I feel like you’ve been avoiding me.”

“Avoiding you? No-” Bellamy cuts off when Murphy raises his brows. “Okay, maybe I’ve been avoiding you.”

“Why?” Murphy leans forward and he looks genuinely interested in what Bellamy has to say.

Bellamy frowns, partially because he feels like this is something that’s self-explanatory. “Well, let’s start with the fact that you’re my king.”

“And?” Murphy waves his hand. “Sorry. Continue.”

Bellamy takes a deep breath. He just needs to be honest. “My soulmate is your wife, the queen. I guess I’m afraid that you’re going to tell me to get the hell out.”

Murphy considers him for a moment before leaning back in his seat. “Do I come off as that selfish?”

“I never said you were selfish,” Bellamy hurries to say.

“Yes, you did. You think I’m going to tell you to get the hell out.” He shakes his head. “How selfish would someone have to be to do that? I have two soulmates that have been around for years. My wife’s soulmate shows up and I tell him to leave? That would be a douche move which I will admit that I can be an asshole, but I would never do that to Clarke. I love her too much for that.”

Bellamy bites his lip for a moment before continuing. “I think that might be part of the problem. The two of you obviously love one another. How can you be okay with this?”

Murphy laughs. “Clarke says she’s talked to you about this already.”

“She has, but I still just don’t get it.” Bellamy has tried really hard to understand how this is supposed to work, but he can’t quite wrap his brain around it. He has this deep-seated fear of rejection—he knows it’s there, but he doesn’t know to get over it.

“It’s pretty simple. The kids come first. Clarke and I stay married so you won’t ever be able to marry her. We don’t sleep together anymore—we haven’t since Emori and I met. Which let’s be honest probably hasn’t been fair to her, but that’s the way she wanted it.” Murphy pauses. “I want her to be happy and she wants me to be happy. That’s the kind of love we share. Do you understand now?”

“No.” Bellamy shakes his head. “But that’s my hang up.”

Murphy laughs. “Okay, well I would like us to be friends and Clarke told me we had to be friends so that’s why I’m here. We have to be friends.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

“It does in this house. I know you’ve heard the saying happy wife, happy life?” Murphy stands up. “So come on, we’re going to have a beer.”

Bellamy blinks up at him, unsure.

“Look man, if you want Clarke to be pissed at you, be my guest, but I’m going to do what she asked of me so she doesn’t come after me.” Murphy shakes his head. “Because she’ll get Emori and Raven to help. And I’m not going to fuck with all three of them.”

“Sure.” Bellamy sets the book down as he stands up, shaking his head. He still doesn’t get how this is supposed to work, but he has to give it a shot right? And who knows, maybe he and Murphy will have some common interests—he doubts it, but at the very least they have Clarke in common and that’s enough of a reason to try,

* * *

**November 28, 2002**

“Clarke, Murphy, it’s so good to see the both of you.” Kane smiles as he opens the door. He makes a move as if to hug Clarke and she steps back.

It’s not that she has an issue with Kane per se, it’s just that she’s often felt like he’s trying to take the place of her dad—which no one can do. It’s been over six years since he passed away and it still hurts when she thinks about him. It’s also been almost five years since Abby married Kane—which is way too soon if Clarke does say so herself—and she’s still not fully comfortable around him.

“Marcus.” Murphy extends his hand and Kane shoots him a grateful smile as he shakes it. “Thank you so much for having us over today. We all know Clarke can’t cook for anything and I haven’t yet tried a turkey.”

Clarke elbows Murphy, shaking her head. “Don’t be an ass, John.” She gives Kane a small smile, hoping that it at least partially makes up for her reluctance to hug him. “But yes, thank you for having us over. We’ve been so busy, I’d honestly forgotten that it was Thanksgiving.”

“Clarke’s been feeling under the weather for a few weeks.” Murphy frowns as he wraps his arm around her shoulders. 

“I’m so sorry to hear that Clarke.” Kane steps back, ushering for them to come in. “Why don’t you go find your mom so she can check you out?”

Clarke sighs. She’d already told Murphy that she’d let her mom check her out, but she wishes he hadn’t mentioned it to Kane. She didn’t need all of them worrying over her. She’s just run down. Now that they’re only a mere three years from being crowned King and Queen, they have so much on their plates. “Sure. Where is she hiding?”

Kane laughs. “She’s in her office.” He gestures with his head. 

“Okay.” Clarke leans up, kissing Murphy briefly. “I’m sure that everything is fine. Why don’t you go help Marcus in the kitchen? Maybe he can give you some pointers on how to cook a turkey.” She pats his chest, shooting him a smile before heading toward her mom’s office—really, it’s her dad’s office that Abby took over, but she’s not going to dwell on that right now. All it’ll do is annoy her and the last thing she needs to do is start another fight with Abby.

Since her dad had passed away things have been tense between the two of them. Clarke had always been closer to her dad than her mom, mainly because Abby was focused on her work. Which Clarke fully understands, but when he’d died Abby had thought that things would suddenly change and they’d be closer. But all that did was drive Clarke further away. Their relationship is doing much better now. Honestly, as soon as she and Murphy got married and she moved out there was a lot less pressure on their relationship. 

“Mom?” Clarke calls as she knocks on the partially closed door before pushing it open.

Abby looks up, blinking at her. “Oh, is it 3:00 already?” Abby pulls off her reading glasses, rubbing at her eyes as she stands up. “I didn’t even hear the doorbell.”

Clarke laughs. “I’m not surprised. You get a little wrapped up when you’re working.”

“Yeah, that I do.” Abby offers her a smile as she steps around the desk, moving to hug Clarke, but suddenly starts. “Holy crap, you’re pregnant.”

“What?” Clarke starts.

Abby’s face lights up as she takes Clarke’s face into her hands, eyes falling shut. Clarke knows that she’s reaching out to her magic, but it feels awkward. Suddenly Abby’s eyes fly open. “You haven’t been feeling well, have you?”

“No, I just thought I was run down.” Clarke blinks, trying to wrap her head around the idea that she’s pregnant. “I’m pregnant?”

Abby laughs. “You’re definitely pregnant.” She closes her eyes, hand moving to lay on Clarke’s stomach. “About eight weeks, I’d guess?

Holy crap. She’s pregnant. Oh, Gods. She has to tell Murphy. What is he going to say? Is he going to be happy? It’s not like they were trying to get pregnant, but they weren’t exactly trying to prevent it either. 

“Are you okay, Clarke?” Abby’s hand is on Clarke’s face again.

Clarke shakes her head, focusing on her mom. “Yeah, I just—I need to tell John.”

“Go. Go. We can talk more after.” Abby strokes her cheek gently. “Congratulations, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Clarke heads to the kitchen, dazed. She can’t believe she’s pregnant and that she’d never even thought about the possibility that she could be pregnant.

“Clarke?” Murphy’s confusion is written all over his face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m pregnant,” Clarke blurts. Well, there was probably a better way to have told him that.

Murphy stares at her, mouth agape and eyes wide. Clarke pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, worried. What is he thinking? Why couldn’t she have been a mind reader? It would make times like this so much easier. 

“We’re pregnant?” Murphy yells, suddenly moving across the kitchen at double speed and sweeping her into his arms. He spins her in circles before setting her down on the ground, kissing her. “We’re going to have a baby?” he asks, voice barely above a whisper.

A smile breaks out on Clarke’s face. She doesn’t know why she was worried. Of course, Murphy is happy. “Yeah. My mom knew as soon as she saw me.”

Murphy’s smile is huge as he leans forward to rest his forehead against hers. “We’re having a baby.”

Clarke hears Kane leave the kitchen as quietly as possible, but she doesn’t acknowledge him. She’s grateful to him for giving them this moment. “Yeah, we’re having a baby.” She lays her hand on her stomach, Murphy’s coming to lay atop hers. She closes her eyes. She wants to remember this moment forever—the pure love and happiness that she feels is unlike any other she’s ever felt. They’re having a baby.

* * *

#  _The Arkadia Times_

**Saturday, February 1, 2003**

Baby Makes Three 

By Josephine Lightbourne

The Royal Pair revealed a secret that they’ve been hiding last night at a gala for their charity Love for Fae Kids—they’re expecting! That’s right, the Royal Pair has a baby on the way and they can’t be more excited. 

What does one call a baby born to the prince and princess? As you know there is no line of succession for the Royal Pair so any children born to the pair would be a noble. Now, this doesn’t mean that everyone won’t want to know as much as possible about their new bundle of joy, but the child will not be able to inherit the throne.

There is much joy and excitement in the Fae community today as we celebrate alongside the prince and princess, but I get the feeling that none of us are nearly as excited as they are. We here at _The Arkadia Times_ wish good health to both mother and baby and we can’t wait to see how adorable the baby will be.

* * *

#  _The Arkadia Times_

**Wednesday, January 17, 2007**

A New Bundle of Joy for the King and Queen 

By Josephine Lightbourne

It’s a girl! Queen Clarke gave birth to a bouncing baby girl last night at Arkadia General. Skylar Grace Murphy was born at 9:52 pm, weighing in at 7.2 pounds and 18.7 inches. Big brother Holt, 3, was spotted in the waiting room with his maternal grandmother Abby Griffin-Kane. Both mother and baby are said to be doing well. 

It’s been just over a year since the king and queen started their reign and what a busy year it’s been. Their charity Love for Fae Kids has expanded and is now going by the name Love for All Kids, helping not just Fae but also human children stuck in the system. The business that they control has shown better profits than they have in years. All of this while the queen was pregnant. If they can do all of that while she’s pregnant, then I can't wait to see what they have in store for us now that the baby is here.

* * *

**December 2, 2005**

Murphy glances over at Clarke and sees that she is also hesitating. He’s a little afraid to look at his Soul Book and he’s sure his wife is as well. They say it won’t change anything, but it will. There’s no way that it can’t. He runs his hand along the cover. “Do you think it would be easier if we did this separately?” he asks quietly.

Clarke turns her head to look at him. “Do you want to do it separately?”

“Not really.” Murphy lets out a sigh. “I’m scared.”

Clarke reaches over to squeeze his hand. “Me too.” She glances at her Soul Book before turning fully to face him. “How about we look at yours together and then we look at mine together?”

“That doesn’t seem fair. You shouldn’t have to wait because I’m scared.” He shakes his head.

“I’d like to do this together, John. And honestly? I’d rather do yours first.” Clarke laughs.

Murphy nods. “Okay.” He picks up his Soul Book as Clarke does the same. They make their way over to the couch, Clarke setting hers on the table before settling into his side. Murphy opens the books slowly. “Here we go.”

The first page includes a sleeping baby, but it’s not inside a hospital as one would expect. Instead, the baby is sleeping in a basket on a porch—alone. 

“That’s terrible,” Clarke breaths. “I recognize where that is. It’s the Seelie Orphanage here in town.”

Murphy nods turning the page, brow furrowing. The second page is a second baby this one held in the loving arms of its mother, a man Murphy assumes to be the father looking down lovingly onto both mother and child. “Wait. This doesn’t make sense.” He shakes his head. “Does this mean-”

“That you have two soulmates?” Clarke laughs. “Of course you do.”

Murphy’s jaw drops. Having more than one soulmate is very rare. He turns the pages, one after the other as he learns the life of his soulmates. The death of one of their parents and then meeting the Seelie King for another. “Clarke?”

“I’ve met your soulmate?” Clarke asks in wonder as they stare down at a picture that includes her and King Dante. “I mean, I guess it makes sense. I told you I recognized the orphanage.”

“Of course you got to meet my soulmate before me,” Murphy mutters as he continues turning the pages. 

There is so much pain and heartbreak in his soulmates’ lives. He hates it. He wants to make it better. He wishes that he could have met them sooner so that maybe he could have helped prevent some of the pain, but he also knows that he can’t change the past. All he can do is try to find them and help make sure that their futures are happier.

“I wish that our Soul Books gave us the names of our soulmates. Just think how much easier it would be to find them,” Murphy complains as he shuts the book. 

Clarke shakes her head as she reaches over to squeeze Murphy’s hand. “That would make it too easy and you know it.” She glances between him and his Soul Book. “They’re both very beautiful.”

Murphy nods. “They are. Why haven’t they found one another yet?”

“Maybe they’re scared?” Clarke suggests. “It looks like they’ve had hard lives. Maybe they’re just not ready.”

Murphy shrugs. “Yeah, I guess.” He shoots her a small smile. “Your turn? Maybe you have three soulmates.”

They laugh together as Murphy sets his Soul Book onto the table, grabbing Clarke’s and handing it to her. He pushes away the pain he feels for his soulmates so that he can focus on Clarke.

* * *

**September 12, 2010**

“Clarke?” Raven knocks on the door to Skylar’s room.

Clarke looks up from where she is playing with Skylar and Holt, giving her a soft smile as she sees her. “Hey, Raven.”

“Mama!” Skylar jumps to her feet and throws her arms around Raven’s legs. Because Skylar is so young it’s been easiest for her to adapt to having so many parents in her life. Clarke will always be known as Mommy since that’s what Holt called her and in turn, so did Skylar when she was old enough. Emori became Mom and Raven Mama. 

It was a little weird at first for someone else’s kids to call her Mama, but now she loves them just as much as if she’d given birth to them herself. She knows there are still some issues that they’re having with Holt calling Bellamy anything besides Bellamy, but Skylar has already taken to calling him, Dada. 

“Hey, munchkin.” Raven ruffles Skylar’s hair. “Do you mind if I steal Mommy for a bit? I need her help with something.”

Skylar lets out a heavy sigh. “I guess….” She walks back over to sit next to her brother, turning to Clarke when she doesn’t get up immediately. “Mommy, Mama needs your help.” She looks expectantly at Clarke.

Clarke laughs, shaking her head. “Yes, ma’am.” She stands up and makes her way over to Raven. “What’s up?”

“Not here.” Raven grabs her hand and drags her down the hallway until they reach the room that she shares with Murphy and Emori. She closes the door behind them, locking it.

“What’s going on, Raven?” 

Raven takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. “I think I might be pregnant.”

“What? Are you serious?” Clarke squeals before pausing. “But I thought the doctor’s said you couldn’t get pregnant?”

Raven opens her eyes finding Clarke looking at her, concern written all over her face. “I know which is why I can’t do this on my own. I don’t want to get my hopes up.” She shakes her head. “Your mom said that they were wrong, but I still didn’t let myself imagine that it could happen.”

“I didn’t know you went to see my mom.” Clarke takes Raven’s hand in hers. “What do you need me to do?”

“I took a test.” Raven gestures to the bathroom door with her head. “But then I freaked out and ran away. I can’t look. Can you do it for me?”

Clarke nods. “Of course I can.” She intertwines their fingers. “Come on.” 

Raven lets Clarke lead her into the bathroom, but her eyes fall shut as soon as they’re in there. She wants nothing more than to be pregnant, but she’s afraid. What if she’s getting her hopes up over nothing? The symptoms are there, but she’s been told that she could never have kids—that it’s impossible. 

She hears Clarke pick up the test and then she can’t breathe. She can’t do this. She can’t deal with it if it says she’s not pregnant. It’ll break her. She knows it will.

“Raven?” Clarke’s voice is quiet.

Raven flinches, afraid. She doesn’t want to know. 

“Raven, look at me.”

Raven slowly opens her eyes to find Clarke grinning at her, the test held in front of her face. Raven’s eyes zero in on it. “Pregnant? I’m pregnant?” She can’t process it. It’s what she wanted, but she never thought it could happen. 

“You’re pregnant.” Clarke nods.

“Holy shit. I need to find Murphy and Emori.” But Raven doesn’t move. She’s stuck. She can’t seem to make herself move. She’s in shock—a good kind of shock, but shock none-the-less. 

Clarke laughs. “You can’t tell them from here, Raven. You’re going to have to move to do that.”

Raven shakes her head, a smile slowly spreading across her face. “I’m pregnant!” She launches herself at Clarke, hugging her tightly. “I love you.” Then she’s sprinting from the room, although the locked door does hold her up for a moment and she can hear Clarke’s laughter behind her. 

She tries to remember where she’d last seen Emori and Murphy. The living room? The office? No, the kitchen. She veers off to the right once she’s down the stairs. She skids to a stop when she gets to the kitchen, smiling to herself as she watches Murphy trying to teach Emori how to make cookies. She, Emori, and Clarke are disasters in the kitchen—much to the chagrin of Murphy and Bellamy. 

“Raven. Hey, babe.” Emori grins when she looks up to find her standing there, a smudge of flour across her cheek.

Murphy glances up at her. “Did you come to help us bake cookies?”

“I’m pregnant,” Raven blurts. She can’t help herself. She’s filled with so much love as she looks at them and she just needs to tell them. Although she will admit that she could’ve done that better.

Emori and Murphy both freeze for a moment, but then they’re both moving toward her and engulfing her in a hug. Raven lets her eyes fall closed as they embrace her. This is what it is to be loved.

“We’re having a baby?” Emori asks as she pulls back, tears in her eyes.

Raven nods. “We’re having a baby.” She wipes the single tears that drop from Emori’s eyes before leaning in to kiss her. She turns to Murphy who is grinning like an idiot, shaking her head as she leans in to kiss him as well. She can’t think of a time she’s been happier in her life than right now with the two people she loves most in the world and the best news they could’ve received. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined the amount of happiness and love she has in her life. 

* * *

#  _Queens of Scandal_

**Saturday, December 18, 2010**

The King’s First Bastard? 

By Josephine Lightbourne-Santiago

Raven Reyes, 31, is pregnant. While there has been no confirmation from the palace as of yet we all know it has to be the king’s. Just under a year ago, King John introduced his mistresses—I mean, his _soulmates_ —to the world. Now they have a baby on the way. I wonder how the queen feels about that?

Speaking of which, a few months back I posted about the new man that the queen was seen out and about with. Well, just before Thanksgiving they shared that Bellamy Blake, 35, is in fact the queen’s soulmate. The palace must be getting a little full at this point, no?

We all wait with bated breath for the official announcement from the palace in regards to Reyes’s pregnancy. I can’t wait to see how they spin this one. Until next time!

* * *

**January 1, 2012**

Bellamy wakes up slowly, head pounding, already regretting the amount of alcohol he’d consumed the night before. It’s not like he’s in his 20s anymore. He sits up quickly when he hears a moan from the bathroom followed by someone getting sick. Oh no, poor Clarke.

Bellamy climbs out of the bed and heads to the bathroom, pushing open the door slowly. “Clarke?” He finds her hunched over the toilet.

“Leave me alone and let me die in peace.” Her voice is muffled by the toilet. 

“Not a chance.” Bellamy shakes his head as he drops down beside her, rubbing her back in slow circles. “I didn’t even think that you drank that much.”

Clarke turns her head to look at him and she looks miserable. “I didn’t. I had one glass of champagne. I’m assuming it was something I ate?”

“I guess I can reach out and see if anyone else got sick so we can make sure that we don’t eat any of the leftovers of whatever it was.” Bellamy sighs as he realizes that he left his phone plugged in beside the bed. 

Clarke shrugs. “You could, I guess.” She sits up slowly. “I feel better now. I guess something wasn’t settling well.”

Bellamy helps her stand. “Do you want to go lie down for a bit?”

“No.” Clarke shakes her head. “I feel just fine now.”

Bellamy narrows his eyes as he watches her, wondering if it’s something more than something she ate settling wrong. He knows that when his mom was pregnant with Octavia every morning she would wake up, throw up, and then move on as if nothing had happened. And they’ve been actively trying to get pregnant. He doesn’t want to get his or Clarke’s hopes up, but she could be pregnant.

“Clarke?”

Clarke looks up from where she is brushing her teeth. “Hmmm?”

“Could you be pregnant?” Bellamy asks as he moves to lean against the counter, eyes locked with hers.

Clarke freezes for a moment before rinsing out her mouth. She turns back to him and he can see the excitement in her eyes. “I could be. The easier way to find out would be to go see my mom. Get dressed.”

Bellamy does as he’s demanded, dressing as quickly as possible. He can’t wipe the smile from his face. He just knows that she’s pregnant. They’re going to have a baby and he couldn’t be more ecstatic. Even as they rush to Abby’s Bellamy can feel peace settle over him. He doesn’t know where the certainty is coming from, but he knows that he’s right.

It’s Abby that opens the door and she immediately confirms their suspicions—Clarke is pregnant. As they celebrate it feels like yet another thing is finally clicking into place. Happily ever after wasn’t something that Bellamy had thought was in the cards for him, but he’s never been happier to be wrong.

* * *

**December 2, 2005**

Clarke takes her Soul Book from Murphy, sighing. She’d seen the hurt on his face as he’d flipped through his own book. What if her soulmate’s life was just as hard? She takes a deep breath. Waiting isn’t going to change what’s inside it. She pushes away her fear as she flips open the book.

A smile slides across her face at the first picture, her soulmate as a baby. Eyes wide open and staring upward, so serious. The next few pictures include only a woman that Clarke assumes to be the baby’s mother. Then it shows a young boy, hand on his mother’s swelling stomach. Then holding a small child. From then until her soulmate is grown, all of the pictures include this young girl that must be his sister. 

Nothing too tragic seems to have happened to him as a child, though his whole world seemed to revolve around his sister. There are pictures of him studying at what she assumes is college, but then the pictures change. Death and destruction surround her soulmate—warzones and gunfights. Friends and enemies dead all around him. 

Clarke gasps as tears fill her eyes as Murphy takes her hand. In between the pictures of death, the only light seems to be his sister and the few moments that he seems to be teaching young children. What type of life is it that her soulmate leads to have these things in his life? Clarke slams her Soul Book shut, overwhelmed.

Murphy pulls her into his arms as she begins to cry. “I’ve got you.”

“Why is there so much tragedy in their lives?” Clarke shakes her head. “We’ve lived such easy lives. How is that fair, John?”

Clarke feels more than sees Murphy shake his head. “It’s not, but there’s nothing we can do about that now. All we can do is hope that once we meet them that we can make their lives happier.”

Clarke hugs Murphy tighter. “It’s not fair. It’s just not fair.”

“I know.” Murphy strokes her hair as her eyes fall shut. She’s never been more thankful in her life for Murphy. He might not be her soulmate, but they love one another and they’re always there for each other. There’s no way that having soulmates will change that, right?

* * *

#  _Queens of Scandal_

**Friday, May 11, 2012**

Who’s the Daddy? 

By Josephine Lightbourn-Santiago

Today is the first birthday of Isabel Elena Murphy, daughter to King John,32, and soulmate Raven Reyes. 33. Last year we all questioned who the baby’s daddy was and the palace finally confirmed that the king was in fact the father of Reyes’s daughter when she was born.

Now we have another scandal brought to you from the palace—Queen Clarke, 32, is pregnant. But the question on everyone’s mind is who’s the daddy? Is it King John? Have the Royal Pair continued to sleep together after finding their soulmates? Or is the queen’s soulmate Bellamy Blake, 37, the baby’s daddy? 

The palace once again isn’t commenting so it’s on us to figure it out on our own for now. We may not get any official confirmation from the palace until the child is born. So until then, we’ll just guess, which is more fun anyway. Until next time!

* * *

**October 31, 2014**

Emori takes one last glance in the mirror as she smiles to herself. She’s picked the perfect costume. She can’t wait until the others see her. Honestly, she can’t think of a better way to announce her news. 

Glancing at the clock she realizes she needs to hurry. She’s sure that the kids are going crazy having to wait. The sun is almost set which means that trick-or-treating is about to be underway. She makes her way out of her room and bumps into Clarke. “Oh, sorry.”

Clarke laughs. “Guess I should’ve been watching where I was going.” She stops suddenly, eyes dropping to Emori’s costume. “Wait, you’re-” she breaks off, laughing.

Emori tilts her head as she eyes Clarke, unsure why she’s laughing until her eyes drop and she realizes that they’re wearing the same costume—a skeleton costume that shows a baby skeleton over their flat bellies. “Oh, my Gods!” Emori pulls in for a hug.

“Congrats, Mori!” Clarke hugs her tightly before pulling back. “Do they know?”

Emori shakes her head. “No. I assume no one knows that you’re pregnant, either?”

“Nope.” Clarke laughs. “Well, let’s go share the good news then, shall we?”  
  
Emori links her arms with Clarke, shaking her head. She can’t believe that she and Clarke are both pregnant. That’s going to make six kids between the five of them. How are they going to handle it? Four has already proven to be a handful and now they’re adding two babies to the mix? Well, at least life will never be dull. And since she’s never been pregnant it reassures her that Clarke will be going through the same things at the same time. 

They walk down the stairs together, Holt jumping up and down when he sees them. “Finally! Can we go now?” At eleven and the oldest of the four kids, he’s used to having to wait, but he’s not very good at it. 

“Did you guys coordinate outfits?” Raven laughs as she balances Isabel in her arms, the three old wanting nothing more than to be running around.

“Wait,” Murphy cuts Raven off as she starts to say something else. “Are you both pregnant?”

“Surprise?” Clarke laughs as they reach the bottom of the stairs.

Everyone is quiet for just a moment before chaos breaks out. Seven-year-old Skylar is running around screaming about being a big sister again while Holt is complaining about wasting time that could be sent trick-or-treating. Aeilana, too young at two to understand what is going on, is clapping her hands from Bellamy’s arms as he pulls Clarke in for a kiss. 

Murphy is suddenly there, picking her up and kissing her soundly before taking Isabel from Raven so that she can hug her as well. Then somehow they’re all wrapped in a group hug, except Holt who is still complaining about the fact that they’re not trick-or-treating. 

Emori realizes that she’s crying which makes her start laughing. Their family is crazy and the opposite of conventional, but never in her life has ever felt so much love before. And she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

* * *

#  _Queens of Scandal_

**Sunday, March 1, 2015**

The Palace Overrun With Babies? 

By Josephine Lightbourne-Santiago

King John, 34, and Queen Clarke, 34, can’t seem to keep it in their pants. Or I guess in the case of the queen, she can’t keep it out of her pants. That’s right, both King John and Queen Clarke are expecting babies—separately not together. The king’s soulmate Emori Laurant, 36, is expecting her first child in the next few months. An exact due date has not been provided at this time.

The queen is due around the same time and we have to assume that since Aeliana Iris Blake, 2, was the queen’s soulmate’s child that this one will be as well. Although, you know what they say about assumptions. So who knows, maybe the king and queen do share a bed. With the way they run that palace who knows. 

Speaking of which, how many kids do they need to have between the two of them? This will make six children for the Royal Pair. This has to be the last ones, right? The queen alone is on her fourth child. We get it, you guys love kids. Maybe you have enough now? Until next time! 

* * *

**April 22, 2015**

Clarke squeezes Bellamy’s hand as another contraction rocks through her body. She forces herself to breathe through it, reminding herself that it will pass. Yes, she’ll have to deal with more but the upside is that once she’s done she’ll have a beautiful baby to hold in her arms. She slumps against her pillow as the contraction ends, turning her head to look at Emori.

Emori’s contractions are coming faster than Clarke’s are at the moment, but they’re both getting close. It had been a struggle to convince the doctors to allow both women to give birth in the same room. It wasn’t until Clarke blew up and yelled at the doctors that they had relented. 

Clarke knows that their family is anything but conventional, but why the hell they thought it was a good idea to argue with two pregnant women she will never understand. No one had expected for both women to go into labor at practically the same time. Their due dates were barely a week apart, but not two minutes after Emori’s water had broken so had Clarke’s—making her feel like an idiot for thinking her contractions were Braxton Hicks. This is her fourth time giving birth. One would think she’d know what the hell she was doing by now.

“You doing okay, Mori?” Clarke asks her as Bellamy wipes the sweat from her face.

Emori, Murphy, and Raven all turn to Clarke, but it’s Emori who speaks. “I’m okay. You?”

“I’d prefer for this to be over, but-” Clarke breaks off as another contraction bears down on her and she hears Emori grunt as another hits her. Well, that escalated quickly. “Someone get the doctor, I don’t think these babies are going to wait much longer.”

“I’m on it,” Raven calls as she dashes from the room, returning moments later with two doctors in tow. 

Clarke’s doctor walks over to her, frowning. “What seems to be the problem?”

“The problem is that this baby is ready to come now,” Clarke grits out.

The doctor laughs. “I was just in here and you were nowhere near-” He cuts off as he lifts the blanket covering her lower half. “How?”

Clarke shakes her head as she hears Emori’s doctor tell her, “Looks like this baby is ready to come out. I want you to wait to push until I tell you, okay?”

Clarke zones out after that, focusing on breathing through the pain and then the pushing. She always forgets how hard giving birth is until she’s going through it again. But this should be her last one. Four is enough. 

Clarke’s head falls back, exhausted as she hears a baby cry—only a little sad that it’s not hers that’s crying. 

“It’s a boy!” Murphy yells causing Bellamy and Clarke to laugh.

Clarke bears down as another contraction starts, pushing. She lets out a sigh of relief when she hears her baby’s cries begin. Thank the Gods, the worst of it is over. She smiles as the nurse sets the baby on her chest. Another beautiful baby boy.

“Just couldn’t stand to be left out of the fun, huh?” she asks him. “Had to steal the thunder? Make the poor kid share a birthday?”

Bellamy laughs, nuzzling Clarke’s head. “Actually, baby boy Blake was born at 12:01 am and baby boy Murphy was born at 11:59 pm so they don’t share a birthday.”

“Well, I guess he’ll get to hold those two minutes over you for the rest of your life.” Clarke laughs as she holds her son close. This is the best moment, the first moments of holding your child surrounded by the people that you love. 

* * *

**July 3, 2019**

“Clarke, Bellamy called. He said something was wrong.” Abby rushes into the bedroom with Bellamy right on her heels. 

Bellamy follows her over to the bed where Clarke is buried under the covers, face pale. She looks exhausted and he’s been fighting with her for weeks over calling her mom. She’s barely been able to get out the bed for the last month. She kept telling him that she was fine, but he’s so worried. So he called Abby—even knowing that Clarke is likely going to kill him.

Abby pulls back the covers, hand on Clarke’s head when she freezes. “Oh, Clarke.”

“What?” Bellamy asks, panic rising.

Abby looks to Bellamy before turning to Clarke. “You’re pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Bellamy shakes his head. “No, she’s never been like this when she’s pregnant.”

“She also hasn't been almost forty when she was pregnant before, Bellamy.” Abby shakes her head as she sits down on the bed beside Clarke. “Can I?”

Clarke nods, lowering the blankets. Bellamy shakes his head. He knows that Abby’s gift is healing and everything medical, but she has to be wrong. Doesn’t she? 

Abby leans forward, hands on Clarke’s stomach as she closes her eyes. She frowns just before her eyes open. “How long have you been feeling this way? You’re nearing your fourth month already.”

“For a while,” Clarke admits, refusing to look at Abby or Bellamy as she speaks. 

“Why did you wait so long, Clarke?” Abby asks quietly.

Clarke is silent for a moment before she turns her head, eyes meeting Bellamy’s. “Because I knew something was wrong and I didn’t’ want to know what it was.”

“Clarke,” Bellamy breathes, sitting down beside Abby and taking Clarke’s hand. “Babe.”

“I know it was stupid.” Clarke’s eyes tear up as she turns to Abby. “How bad is it?”

“You’re going to need to stay on bed rest. You have preeclampsia.” Abby brushes the hair from Clarke’s face. “And you’re anemic. You’re going to need to start on iron pills immediately. We’ll keep an eye on your blood pressure. Hopefully, we won’t have to put you on pills for that as well. You haven’t gained enough weight.” Abby shakes her head. “I want you to come to the hospital tomorrow.”

Bellamy sighs. “I’ll bring her.”

Abby turns to him, a small smile on her face. “I know you will. I’m going to head home. You stay with her. I’ll let Murphy and the girls know what’s going on before I leave.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke whispers as soon as her mom has closed the door behind herself.

“It’s fine.” Bellamy lays down, wrapping his arms around her. “We’ll make it through this.”

Clarke is quiet for a moment. “What are we going to tell the kids?”

Bellamy shakes his head. “Don’t worry about that right now. We’ll discuss it with Murphy, Raven, and Emori later. Right now, just rest.” 

Bellamy waits until she’s asleep before he lets his tears begin to fall. He _knew_ something was wrong. He should’ve gotten Abby sooner. How is she almost four months pregnant and he didn’t even notice? How could he have failed her that badly?

Clarke looks so fragile in his arms and it’s not a look he’s used to seeing on her—or one he likes seeing on her. She has to be okay. He can’t live without her, not again. He’d spent 36 years without her and he doesn’t want to spend any more without her. He doesn’t know what they’ll tell the kids, but he’s never been more grateful for their unconventional family. At least he doesn’t have to face it alone—he has three other people to help him be strong for Clarke. 

* * *

#  _Queens of Scandal_

**Friday, August 30, 2019**

Where’s the Queen? 

By Josephine Lightbourne-Santiago

It’s been months since anyone has seen Queen Clarke, 38, in public. It seems like she never leaves the palace anymore and inquiring minds want to know why. My inside source, who will remain anonymous, says that the queen is on bed rest. Why is she on bed rest? Because she’s pregnant with baby number five.

I don’t know what she was thinking having another child at her age. Not to mention the fact that she already has four. How many kids does one person really need? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We get it, you love kids, but enough is enough. Endangering your health to pop out another kid is dumb when you already have four—six if you count the ones that her husband has had with his soulmates.

What happens if the queen dies in childbirth? Does the king rule alone? Can he remarry? Can he marry _both_ of his soulmates? These are questions we all want to be answered. I may not have the answers now, but rest assured readers I will find them for you. Until next time!

* * *

**November 17, 2019**

“Clarke?” Bellamy’s voice is alarmed as he watches Clarke gasp, hand on her stomach. “What’s wrong?

Clarke shakes her head. “I don’t know, but something is very wrong.” She moans. “It hurts. It hurts so bad.”

Bellamy watches in horror as Clarke’s eyes roll into the back of her head and she starts to collapse. He reaches out with his magic to keep her afloat as he rushes over. He scoops her into his arms and lets out a relieved sigh as he sees that she’s still breathing. 

He uses his magic to throw open the door as he rushes from their room and down the stairs. “Murphy? Raven? Emori?” he yells as he moves as quickly as he can.

“Bellamy?” Emori rushes out from the downstairs office as he nears it, eyes wide. “What’s wrong? I can feel your panic.” Her eyes land on Clarke. “Oh, my Gods.”

“We need to get her to the hospital.” Bellamy shakes his head. “She said it hurt and grabbed at her stomach, but I don’t know what’s wrong. Then she passed out. I don’t know what to do.”

Emori is already moving, pulling him along behind her. “Raven and Murphy have the kids at the park. We’ll call them from the car. I’m driving.”

The drive to the hospital seems to take forever, but Bellamy knows that Emori is going as fast as she safely can. She calls Murphy and fills him in. He tells them that he and Raven will be there as soon as they drop the kids off at the palace. He’ll have Fox keep an eye on them. 

Emori also calls Abby, but when she can’t reach her she calls Marcus who tells them that Abby is already at the hospital. He’ll have her paged. Abby is waiting outside the door when they pull up, demanding answers that he doesn’t have. He puts her on the gurney and tries to follow them, but he’s told that he can’t. Emori leads him to the waiting room which is where Murphy and Raven find them. 

Bellamy knows that they try to talk to him, but he can’t focus on them. All he can focus on is Clarke. She’s barely at 28 weeks. They knew that the pregnancy would have its challenges, Abby had made sure to go over all of the possible outcomes while they were deciding if they should continue with the pregnancy. Not that there was ever a question to Clarke, she’d told them over and over that she was having the baby.

Bellamy had understood her conviction and hadn’t tried to convince her of anything else. But now all he can do is wonder if he should have. He could lose them both. The love of his life and their child. He feels someone’s hands on him, someone speaking to him but he can’t focus on that. He can’t breathe. 

He knows that he’s spiraling, recognizes the signs of a panic attack—it’s not his first. But he can’t seem to pull himself back from it. This is too much. He can’t lose her. Oh, Gods. What will they tell the kids if she dies? He can’t do this.

“Bellamy!” Murphy yells in his face causing him to blink up at him—focusing on his face. 

He’s still in the midst of his panic attack, but for the first time since he’d arrived at the hospital, he’s focusing on something. Murphy is still speaking but he can’t hear him. Bellamy shakes his head, trying to convey that he can’t hear, but he catches sight of Abby over Murphy’s shoulder.

He staggers to his feet, rushing over. He has no idea how much time has passed. It feels like both too soon and too long since Clarke had been led away from him. He can’t read Abby’s face and that terrifies him. 

Abby lays her hands on his shoulders.”Breathe, Bellamy. They’re both alive.”

And for the first time in minutes, he is able to suck in a breath. He focuses on her eyes, on her voice but he still can’t focus on her words. It takes a while but eventually the panic attack is passing and he can focus on Abby’s words.

“They’re alive. They’re not out of the woods yet, but they’re both alive and stable.” Abby gives him a small smile. “Clarke will be waking up soon and she’ll want to see you, but in the meantime would you like to meet your son?”

Bellamy smiles through his tears. He pulls Abby in for a hug. “Thank you. Thank you, I don’t know what I’d do without them.” He lets himself be led away, still unfocused. They’re both alive. That’s all that matters.

* * *

#  _Queens of Scandal_

**Friday, December 13, 2019**

How Does Life at the Palace Look? 

By Josephine Lightbourne-Santiago

After the scare last month when we were unsure if Queen Clarke, 39, would make it out alive after giving birth to her fifth child Liam Jacob Blake, we begin to wonder what life looks like at the palace for the Royal Pair and their _family_. You may ask why I word it that way, but let’s look at the facts and I’m sure that you’ll figure it out.

Queen Clarke was born Princess Clarke Griffin of the Seelie at Arkadia General on December 2, 1980, at the stroke of midnight. King John, 39, was born Prince John Murphy of the Unseelie at Polis General at the same exact time as the queen. This marked them as the Royal Pair. The Griffins and the Murphys were given houses near the palace so that they could not only grow up together but also so the king and queen at the time, King Dante and Queen Lila could provide them with the lessons that they would need to become rulers of the Fae.

The prince and princess grew up together, best friends according to many accounts, and then in high school, they began dating. They were married on their eighteenth birthday, as all Royal Pairs are. Their first child Holt Jacob Murphy was born June 15, 2003, making him now sixteen. Their second child, Skylar Grace Murphy was born on January 16, 2007, making her almost thirteen. Seems like the perfect family, right? Except this isn’t where it ends. 

Sometime in 2006, King John met one of his soulmates Emori Laurant, 41. We do not know the exact date as she was not introduced to the public until 2010, but more on that in a bit. Laurant was left at a Seelie orphanage just days after her birth on May 29th, 1978. She bounced from foster home to foster home until she landed in a group home at the age of fourteen. She remained at the group home until she aged out of the system and went to the Fae Realm where her education was provided for her.

King John shocked the world in 2010 when he introduced not only Laurant but their third soulmate Raven Reyes, 40. From all accounts, it would appear that the king met Reyes in 2008. Why he chose to keep his soulmates hidden for years we may never know. Reyes, a human, was born on April 1, 1979. Her father passed away when she was only five and from the stories that have been told to me, her mom became an alcoholic. At seventeen, Reyes was engaged to Finn Collins, 41, but something happened and the engagement was called off. Might have had something to do with the fact that they weren’t soulmates.

Near the end of 2010, Queen Clarke was seen out and about with an Unseelie that was later identified as her soulmate, Bellamy Blake, 44. Blake was born in the Fae Realm on July 10, 1975. Not much is known about his family as they seem to remain in the Fae Realm, but he has mentioned a sister, Octavia. Her name is all that is known of her. Maybe one day she’ll come out to introduce herself. 

In 2011, Reyes and the king had their first and only child together, Isabel Elena Murphy. Isabel is now eight. Then in late 2012, Blake and the queen had their first child together, Aeliana Iris Blake. Aeliana is now seven. Then in 2015, both the queen and Laurant both had baby boys literally minutes apart, though the queen’s son was born after midnight so they do not share a birthday. The king and Laurant chose to name their son Dominic Taylor Murphy. Meanwhile, the queen and Blake named their song Keegan Alexander Blake. Both boys are now four. The most recent addition made five children for the queen: two with the king and three with Blake. 

So with seven children and five different parents, how does Christmas look at the palace? I’m sure those children are spoiled beyond belief. How could they not be? But what do they call the adults? Are they all mom and dad? Aunts and uncles? I have no idea, but I’m just glad that it’s not something I have to deal with in my family. Call me old fashioned, but I like that my children only have to worry about me and my husband who they call mommy and daddy. More power to the Royal Pair and their entourage for making it work, I guess. Until next time!

* * *

**December 25, 2019**

Emori sits between Raven and Murphy, watching as the kids tear into their gifts. Holt and Skylar being the oldest are helping out their younger siblings while Clarke holds baby Liam in her arms. Isabel and Aeliana are comparing their dolls and clothes, while Keegan and Dominic are crashing their new cars together. 

“Are you kidding me?” Holt bites out before he throws his phone across the room, the only thing keeping it from crashing into the wall is Bellamy’s magic. 

Emori narrows her eyes at the sixteen-year-old. Annoyance and turmoil are rolling off of him. “What’s wrong, Holt?” she asks quietly.

Holt shakes his head. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I’m sorry.”

“Are they sending you the article again?” Skylar frowns as she leans against her older brother.

“Yeah.” Holt shakes his head. “It’s fine.”

Emori shakes her head. “Your emotions say otherwise. What article are you guys talking about and who keeps sending it to you?”

The attention of both the adults and the other kids are on Holt and Skylar. Holt glares at Skylar for a moment who just shrugs. When her brother makes no effort to explain it Skylar sighs. “Josephine Lightbourne-Santiago put out an article on _Queens of Scandal_ the last day before winter break about the family.”

Raven is already on her phone, cursing. “I hate that woman so much.”

“The kids at school are always asking about our family,” Isabel says quietly and Emori can feel how uncomfortable she feels. “They say we’re weird and they want to know how it works.”

Emori feels confusion emanating from Dominic and Keegan as she turns to see the two young boys staring at one another. “Boy, what have we told you?” she asks. “Just because the two of you can talk to one another inside your heads doesn’t mean that you should. It’s rude especially when there are other people in the room.”

“But Mom,” Dominic whines. “It’s easier.”

“It doesn’t matter what’s easier,” Raven says, shaking her head. 

“Sorry, Mama.” Keegan’s head drops before he turns to face Bellamy and Clarke. “Mom? Dad? Is our family different from everyone else’s?”

Bellamy sighs as he moves to sit on the floor with the kids. He puts his arms around Keegan and Dominic before gesturing for Isabel and Aeliana to come closer. Murphy is already moving to sit between Skylar and Holt. 

“Not everyone is like our family,” Bellamy says. “And not everyone understands it, but no two families are alike. Some families have a mom and dad. Some families have two moms or two dads. Some have only a mom or a dad. Some have an aunt or uncle or grandparent that they live with. What matters is that every child is loved and we all love you.”

Clarke chuckles. “They’re just jealous. You have three moms and two dads that all love you with their whole hearts. Are we the traditional family? No, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Emori can feel the emotions of all the kids slowly settle down until she feels nothing but love. “If anyone ever gives you a hard time for your family you remember that,” she tells them as her eyes scan the room.

“Family isn’t just blood,” Murphy says, looking between the four younger kids who sit around Bellamy. “Isabel, is Aeliana any less your sister because biologically she’s not related to you?” He waits for her to shake her head. “Keegan? Dominic? Are you two brothers?” When they nod he smiles. “We’re a family and we love one another, that’s all that matters.”

“And I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise,” Raven says, breaking the tension as they all laugh.

Emori had always known that it would be hard on the kids—this life that they didn’t ask for. She’d hoped that it would be a conversation that they would have much later, but she’s kind of glad to have it over with. Christmas would not have been her first choice of when to have the conversation, but she can tell that they all feel better now that it’s been done.

* * *

**December 2, 2020**

“Surprise!” 

Clarke laughs as she grasps at Murphy’s arm. “Did you have any idea?” she asks him. 

“No.” Murphy shakes his head. “I can’t believe that they managed to keep this from us.”

Clarke lets Murphy lead her into the room as the kids rush at them, all wanting to tell their parents happy birthday and hug them. Even Skylar and Holt, usually wanting to prove that they’re too mature for this time of act are pushing their way to the two of them. After their kids, the Royal Pair has to make their way throughout the party to thank the guests for coming. 

It’s hours later before Clarke can find a way to sneak outside, grinning when she sees that Murphy is already out on the balcony. “Get tired of all the people already, John?”

Murphy turns to her with a smile, putting an arm around her when she gets close enough. “You know I don’t like large crowds of people.” 

“So how does it feel to be forty?” Clarke asks with a grin as they both turn to stare at the night sky.

“I don’t know, how does it feel Clarke?” Murphy laughs. “I’m happy. Are you happy?”

Clarke nods. “Happier than I ever thought possible.”

“I didn’t know what our lives would look like when we were crowned, but I didn’t think it would look like this.” Murphy places a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s so much better than anything I could have imagined.”

“Well, there they are. Hiding out. What a surprise.”

Clarke and Murphy turn around to see Raven, Emori, and Bellamy standing in the doorway. Clarke doesn’t hesitate as she makes her way to Bellamy, sighing as he wraps his arms around her. She hears Emori and Raven move toward Murphy as she looks up at her soulmate. “I love you.”

“Convenient since I also love you.” Bellamy kisses her softly. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” Clarke pulls back, taking his hand and leading him over to the others. She links arms with Raven as they all look up at the stars. She’s happy and she’s content. She leads a life that most wouldn’t understand, but fuck them. She’s happy and her family is happy—that’s all that matters. 


End file.
